Rick Scott doesn’t see logic in Ron DeSantis’ vax mandate repeal

Florida’s most recent former Governor is again^[1] breaking with his successor^[2] over a call to repeal all vaccine mandates, painting it as unnecessary given Florida law effectively allows parents latitude.

“We didn’t need to make any change. Parents already had the right to make changes if they wanted to,” said Sen. Rick Scott. “So I don’t know why they made the change they did.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis^[3] and Surgeon General Joe Ladapo^[4] made the argument last week that Florida didn’t need vaccine mandates, with DeSantis describing Monday how the state’s chief doctor swayed him.

““But when he told me, he’s like, look, I want to say that I don’t believe in any of these. Do you mind? I was like, you know, say what you believe, man. You know, go ahead and do it,” DeSantis said Monday at G Five Feed & Outdoor^[5] in Plant City^[6].

Scott stressed the need to “empower parents” during his comments Tuesday on the “Guy Benson Show.”

“There’s vaccines that we’ve had for a long time, okay? And so we ought to make sure that parents understand the value of doing that. Now, this didn’t change anything in Florida, by the way. You had the opportunity to opt out of the the vaccine in Florida,” Scott said.

The state currently^[7] has in place pre-K-12 immunization requirements for polio, measles-mumps-rubella, chickenpox, Hepatitis B, and other diseases. Ladapo said Thursday^[8] that those mandates drip “with disdain and slavery.”

On Sunday, Ladapo said research didn’t guide his position, which was informed by “individual sovereignty,” “the right and wrong thing to do” and “parents’ rights.”

It remains to be seen what Ladapo can actually do to remove vaccines, particularly those in statute.

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Drew Dixon and Gabrielle Russon contributed reporting.

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