Overview

• Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, announced a drive to eliminate every state vaccine mandate and likened such requirements to “slavery.”
• State health officials say they will repeal mandates set by agency rule, while ending school-entry vaccines written into statute would require action by the Florida Legislature.
• Florida would be the first U.S. state without school vaccine requirements if lawmakers complete the rollback, and officials have not provided a timeline.
• DeSantis introduced a Make America Healthy Again commission chaired by Casey DeSantis to craft a “medical freedom” package for the next legislative session.
• Public-health leaders and major physician groups warned of likely outbreaks as Florida’s kindergarten coverage sits near 89% with rising exemptions, and West Coast states formed a new alliance to coordinate their own immunization guidance.