DeSantis Urges Permanent Law Preventing Vaccine, Mask Discrimination

PANAMA CITY BEACH (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he wants state lawmakers to approve permanent protections against vaccine and mask mandates in Florida.

The proposal permanently prohibits COVID-19 mask requirements throughout the state, prohibits COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements in all schools, prohibits COVID-19 vaccine passports in Florida, and bans employers from hiring or firing based on COVID-19 vaccine status.

“They can’t discriminate against you when it comes to hiring or firing when it comes to private or government employment,” DeSantis said. “No requirements of masking in lieu of vax.”

Additional changes to the current law includes aiming to protect medical professionals’ freedom of speech. The governor wants physicians to have the freedom to speak their opinions against the narrative of the medical community.

“We want to protect people’s ability to follow the evidence,” DeSantis said. “To follow evidence over the narrative.”

“I’m happy that we have a lot of consensus around this legislation to really codify more common sense around Florida,” Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said at the press conference.

“It’s important to have a voice to the madness and the lunacy that is unfortunately coming out of many parts of this country.”

Ladapo talked about the long-term effects of lockdowns and the continual changes in mask recommendations over the year.

“So many things continue to evolve and this is why it is not sensible, this is just one reason why it’s not sensible to try and restrict speech from physicians,” Ladapo said. “They should be allowed to say what they think and they shouldn’t be forced or essentially scared into feeling that they can’t express themselves. That’s just profoundly unwise.”

In November 2021, DeSantis signed HB 1B into law, prohibiting private employer COVID-19 vaccination mandates unless the employer provides employees certain individual exemptions from the vaccine requirement. The law is set to expire June 1, 2023 – but the governor wants lawmakers to make it permanent and add protections.

Under current law, if an employee was terminated because of their COVID-19 vaccine status, they have the ability to file a complaint with the department, requiring the department to investigate such complaints. It also specifies eligibility for reemployment assistance for unlawfully terminated employee.

The law also prohibits educational institutions and elected or appointed local officials from imposing COVID-19 vaccination mandates on students and employees.

DeSantis has long stood against vaccine mandates before the boosters were recommended, fighting against the Special Olympics mandate, urging cruise lines to drop mandates, urging the U.S. federal government to drop the healthcare vaccine mandate, and inviting U.S. military members kicked out due to vaccine status to join the Florida State Guard.

Amber Jo Cooper contributed to this report.