Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing the Legislature to support his “medical freedom” bill, which would make it easier for parents to turn down vaccines required for school entrance. (Photo by Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)
As the number of confirmed measles cases in Florida increases, so does Gov. Ron DeSantis’ passion to pass legislation to make it easier for parents to turn down the required vaccines for public school students.
Florida this year has seen 134 confirmed measles cases as of April 23, the fourth most in the nation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Florida Department of Health data, meanwhile, puts the number of confirmed cases for the year as of April 17 slightly lower, at 131 confirmed cases.
But DeSantis is not letting the outbreak impede his campaign for legislators to consider his “medical freedom” proposal as one of the issues they will tackle this week in a special session that starts Tuesday. The four-day session will also include congressional redistricting and a bill on artificial intelligence.
The Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday will consider SB 6D, offered by Jacksonville Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough.
The bill is identical to SB 1756, also sponsored by Yarborough. That bill passed the Senate during the 2026 regular session but died after never being considered in the House.
DeSantis, who will be term-limited out of office in January, has said he will continue to make the issue a priority as long as he is governor.
DeSantis’ resolve to pass his vaccine policies strengthens as measles cases continue to rise
DeSantis’ continued push for the proposal, however, may not amount to much.
In an interview with WPLG, a South Florida television station, House Speaker Daniel Perez hinted that he doesn’t support the proposal.
“My concern with the vaccines is, in the middle of a measles outbreak, it’s tough for me to all of a sudden allow for children in schools to not have the measles vaccines, to not have polio, to not have chickenpox,” he told the station.
No legislation addressing vaccines or so-called “medical freedom” had been filed in the House as of Monday afternoon.
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Florida law contains a number of immunization requirements for the young and the old. There are vaccine mandates for school-age children, college students, and nursing home residents.
Immunization for poliomyelitis, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella, pertussis, mumps, and tetanus are required for entry and attendance in Florida schools, childcare facilities, and family daycare homes.
The state allows exemptions for valid medical reasons but also for religious and certain belief systems and, in some cases, allows personal exemptions for philosophical beliefs.
SB 6D still would require children to be vaccinated before entering a Florida school or day care. But the legislation would expand the pathway for exemptions, allowing parents and guardians to opt out based on conscience.
The bill also would authorize ivermectin to be sold behind the counter and would prohibit lawsuits against pharmacists and pharmacies that sell the drug.
Ivermectin is an effective treatment for parasites in animals and for humans to treat parasites such as head lice and scabies, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Food and Drug Administration, though, has not approved Ivermectin for treatment or prevention of COVID-19, and so far recommends against taking it for COVID-19, instead suggesting people get vaccinated for protection.
But DOH secretary Joseph Ladapo and First Lady Casey DeSantis are proponents of expanding the use of ivermectin, including for cancer research.
Measles and other disease outbreaks have occurred as the percentage of school-age children in Florida who are vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella dips.
The target rate for MMR vaccination for herd immunity is 95%. Herd immunity, or population immunity, occurs when a large percentage of a population becomes immune, either through vaccination or prior infection. Herd immunity protects vulnerable individuals who are unable to get vaccinated.
Florida’s 2024-2025 MMR vaccination rate was 88.8%. That’s a near 5% point change from the 2019-2020 year, a KFF analysis shows, and well below the targeted 95% needed for herd immunity.
While the governor and Ladapo say they wanted to eliminate all vaccines mandates from Florida statues, Yarborough’s legislation falls short of that stated goal.
Nevertheless, organized medicine claims the proposal still is dangerous and opposes its passage.
“There are two issues. One, ivermectin is inappropriate for over-the-counter distribution or dispensing, I’m sorry,” Florida Chapter of the American College of Physicians lobbyist Christopher Nuland told the Florida Phoenix Monday.
“And secondly, the expansion of the conscientious objection opt-out would decrease vaccination rates and endanger not only children who are not vaccinated, but also those children who are vaccinated.”
Proposed administrative rule changes expired
In addition to trying to get the Legislature to alter the state’s vaccine requirements for school attendance (private and public) the DeSantis administration announced on Sept. 9 development of new rules to govern the statutory vaccine requirements.
The proposed rule changes, discussed during a pubic workshop on Dec. 12 also would have eliminated a requirement that children be vaccinated for hepatitis B, varicella (chicken pox), and haemophilus influenza B or Hib, and they also receive the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.
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Although administrative rulemaking can take several months to accomplish, regulators must observe certain statutory requirements to keep the process moving.
One of those requirements is that the state must publish the proposed rule within 180 days of announcing the rule development. That would have required the DOH to publish the proposed rule by March 9, which it did not.