Overview

• Joseph Ladapo said his department did “absolutely not” conduct projections on disease spread before advancing a plan to lift school vaccine requirements.
• Pressed by CNN’s Jake Tapper, Ladapo described the move as a moral question of parental rights rather than a data-driven public‑health decision.
• Tapper cited an April Florida Department of Health report showing rising religious exemptions and increases in hepatitis A, whooping cough, and chicken pox.
• The proposal drew sharp pushback noted in the interview, with references to opposition from the AMA, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Florida Medical Association.
• Ladapo reiterated his vow to end “every last one” of the mandates and pointed to his earlier positions during the COVID-19 pandemic, including opposing mRNA shots for healthy children.