OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
6:25 PM – Wednesday, September 3, 2025
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced on Wednesday that the Sunshine State will move to eliminate all vaccine mandates, a move that has sparked sharp criticism from some “public health experts” while earning support from parents who argue they shouldn’t be forced to vaccinate their healthy children.
“All of them. All of them,” Ladapo responded, referencing vaccine mandates during a news conference, prompting the crowd to rise in applause. “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.”
Nonetheless, the state is not banning vaccinations altogether, and he noted that the Florida Department of Health will coordinate efforts with Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.).
“Who am I as a government or anyone else, who am I as a man standing here now, to tell you what you should put in your body?” Ladapo continued. “Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body? I don’t have that right.”
Currently, Florida requires students attending public schools to be vaccinated, with specific requirements detailed on the Florida Department of Health website.
“You want to put whatever different vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision,” Ladapo added. “You don’t want to put whatever vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision. That’s how it should be.”
Dr. Robert Malone, recently appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee, wrote on X that he spoke with Ladapo on Tuesday, describing him as “a measured scientist who is on fire to change the system for the better.”
As a member of the advisory committee, Malone plays a key role in shaping CDC recommendations on vaccine eligibility. He has also been a vocal critic of mRNA vaccines.
However, critics of the decision soon chimed in to express their frustration as well.
“The idea that children would be allowed to go to school unvaccinated is absolutely frightening,” said Dr. Richard Besser, a former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Additionally, Dr. Susan Kressly, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, underscored what she described as the “critical role” of childhood vaccinations in a statement.
“We are concerned that today’s announcement by Gov. DeSantis will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community,” Kressly said.
Ladapo’s announcement coincides with Governor DeSantis’ unveiling of Florida’s “Make America Healthy Again” commission, tasked with recommending ways to implement President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Kennedy’s initiative at the state level.
The commission will be chaired by First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, with Ladapo, Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris, and Department of Children and Families Secretary Taylor Hatch serving as members as well.
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