Speaker urges action after state officials move to reduce school vaccine mandates

At the Sept. 9 Hernando County School Board meeting, Beverly Ko told the board she opposed recent actions by Florida executive officials that she said would remove or reduce vaccination requirements for students.

Ko criticized the state-level policy change and singled out Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, saying the move departs from decades of public-health practice. She called for residents to contact legislators to maintain statutory vaccine protections.

"The Florida surgeon general actually admitted he did not even study whether ending vaccine mandates would increase disease spread," Ko said, arguing that the change "should result in his medical license being revoked." She further urged citizens to write, call and email lawmakers because, she said, "many of these protections are written into state law" and thus would require legislative action to repeal.

Ko cited national public-health estimates about the benefits of routine childhood immunizations and referenced comments from the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics opposing removal of vaccine requirements. Her remarks were delivered as citizen input; the board did not take formal action on state policy.

Ko's statements describe state-level developments and urge public activism; they do not reflect a board position and the transcript does not record a district response during the Sept. 9 meeting.