Last Updated on October 21, 2021
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called for a special session of the state’s legislature in order to introduce legislation to ban private vaccine mandates.
In May, Florida became one of the first states in the country to ban vaccine passports, with a law even more stringent than other states like Texas, the Florida legislation not only banned state entities from requiring vaccines, but also banned private businesses from requiring any customers to show proof of vaccination.
With the new special session, DeSantis now wants the legislature to go even further, and “provide protections for employees facing termination because of unfair, discriminatory COVID-19 vaccine mandates.”
The legislation would also seek to “reevaluate” liability protections for employers if any of their employees are harmed through private vaccine mandates, and reinforce the current legislation that targets state entities, such as school districts.
More legislation would also be drafted that would tackle mask mandates, especially in schools, and would look to give parents “the freedom to opt their children out of mask mandates.”
DeSantis’s office cited statistics from the state’s Department of Health, showing no correlation between COVID-19 infections and counties which have parent mask mandate opt-outs.
“Your right to earn a living should not be contingent upon COVID shots,” DeSantis said at a press conference.
“When the vaccines first came out, we worked very hard to provide it, particularly to our elderly, but we said from day one: we will make it available for all, but we will mandate it on none because ultimately we want individuals to make the determinations about what is right for them. I want a state in which people are able to maintain their livelihoods, earn a living, and provide for their families. And if the federal government or big corporations are hurting people, then we have a responsibility to step up and lead.”
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 21, 2021
The move to bring the special session to stop private vaccine mandates was celebrated by Florida State Representative Anthony Sabatini, currently running for Congress for Florida’s 7th District, and one of the strongest America First voices currently in the legislature.
“For the last 3 months, I’ve been the SOLE voice in the Florida Legislature fighting for this,” Sabatini tweeted. “This is a HUGE WIN for medical freedom, and a HUGE L for RINOs.”
BREAKING: @GovRonDeSantis just announced an Emergency Legislative Session to BAN private sector employee vaccine mandates
For the last 3 months, I’ve been the SOLE voice in the Florida Legislature fighting for this
This is a HUGE WIN for medical freedom
And a HUGE L for RINOs
— Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) October 21, 2021
Earlier this month, DeSantis’s Department of Health made sure to enforce the legislation that was already on the books regarding state vaccine mandates.
As National File reported, Leon County, which covers Tallahassee and the surrounding area, was fined over $3,570,000 by the Florida Department of Health for 714 instances of violating the state’s legislation on vaccine passports, including the firing of 14 employees earlier this month for refusing to provide proof of vaccination to the county’s HR department.
