Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a proclamation announcing the dates of the special legislative session to address the banning of COVID vaccine mandates, particularly the vaccine mandate President Joe Biden is forcing on American workers.
The Special Session will be held Nov. 15-Nov19.
“Your right to earn a living should not be contingent upon COVID shots,” DeSantis said. “We have somehow gone from 15 days to slow the spread to three jabs to keep your job. In Florida, we believe that the decision whether or not to get a COVID shot is a choice based on individual circumstances, so we are litigating against the Biden administration and will be passing legislation in this special session to protect Florida jobs and protect parents’ rights when it comes to masking and quarantines. The health, education, and wellbeing of our children are primarily the responsibility of parents. As long as I am governor, parents in Florida will play a strong role in determining what their kids are learning and how they’re treated in school.”
The Florida Legislature, led by House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R-Palm Harbor) and Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-Trilby) put out a joint statement in support of Gov. DeSantis’s Special Session.
“Over the last two years, Floridians have watched the freedoms of our friends and relatives in other states get stripped away one at a time. We will not stand by as the Biden Administration imposes an illegal and unconstitutional nationwide vaccine mandate that robs the American people of the dignity of work.
“Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, Florida has been a beacon of hope, and we intend to keep it that way. We look forward to working with Governor DeSantis and our colleagues to craft, debate and pass thoughtful legislation that keeps Florida open for business and prioritizes people, parents and businesses over government.
“During the special session, we will do everything within our power as a state to protect Floridians from the unconstitutional, un-American, and morally reprehensible overreaches on the part of the federal government.”
Florida Democrats like Senate Democratic Minority Leader Lauren Book, Sen. Jason Pizzo, Sen. Shevrin Jones, and Rep. Michael Greico, were quick to condemn DeSantis the moment he announced the COVID legislative session.
Senator Shevrin Jones took exception to DeSantis’s call for a special session, calling it a move “focused on scoring political points with his base on the health and safety of Florida.”
“Yet again, Gov. DeSantis is troublingly more focused on scoring political points with his base than on the health and safety of Florida. At every turn throughout the pandemic, the Governor has rejected science, further endangering the lives of hardworking people across the state. Florida deserves leadership that will promote truth and facts, not more reckless politics with human lives on the line,” stated Sen. Jones in a press release.
