DeSantis defends surgeon general, rejects vaccine mandates and seeks nondiscrimination protections

Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the stance of Florida’s surgeon general and reiterated opposition to vaccine mandates and vaccine passports, saying persuasion and the provision of information are preferable to coercion.

"I've never been in favor of mandates," DeSantis said, and added that Florida acted in 2021 to ban vaccine passports and workplace mandates. He said Florida’s surgeon general has removed certain regulatory requirements where the office’s authority was limited and has worked to preserve exemptions: "The surgeon general's position is... provide information and persuasion, that's better than coercion."

DeSantis said he believes mandates can be counterproductive and cited examples from the COVID-19 pandemic, saying some hospitals and employers imposed vaccine requirements that led to staffing disruptions. He said the administration will again press the legislature for nondiscrimination protections to prevent patients from being denied care because of vaccination choices.

The governor also said the surgeon general, whom he identified by name in remarks, was pilloried for positions taken early in the pandemic — such as opposing broad lockdowns and school closures — but that those positions proved to be correct in his view.

DeSantis framed the effort as restoring trust in public-health authorities and said Florida will try again to pass statutory nondiscrimination protections. He noted that some 2021 measures were extended by the legislature but not made permanent and called for making certain protections permanent.

The governor did not provide statutory text or a legislative timetable during the event. He said that for changes that require statute, the legislature would need to act.