Governor Ron DeSantis laid down the line at a press conference in Jacksonville this morning. Covid mandates will never return to Florida.
“Here in Florida we did not and will not allow the dystopian visions of paranoid hypochondriacs control our health policies, let alone our state," proclaimed DeSantis at Culhane's Irish Pub and Restaurant in Jacksonville. "As your President, I will never let Deep State bureaucrats impose a destructive biomedical agenda on our people."
In Florida, we did not — and will not — allow the dystopian visions of paranoid hypochondriacs to control our economy or health policies.
As your President, I will never let Deep State bureaucrats impose a destructive biomedical agenda on our people. pic.twitter.com/5mzhdlVue8
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) September 7, 2023
“Even today, parts of our country are forcing children to wear masks in the classroom,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Those mandates are DOA in Florida, and we will protect parents and children from this perpetual COVID hysteria.”
DeSantis touted laws he signed permanently banning mask mandates and Covid shot mandates in Florida. DeSantis also signed laws banning gain of function research and signed a law protecting personal medical freedoms. The landmark legislative package safeguarded residents’ freedom by ensuring no patient is forced by a business, school, or government entity to undergo testing, wear a mask, or be vaccinated for COVID-19. DeSantis also signed the Protection of Medical Conscience Act. This legislation protects physicians’ freedom of speech and freedom to use their best judgement to care for their patients through alternative treatments. Lastly, Florida is the first state to ban unsafe and unregulated gain-of-function research, like the research conducted in the Wuhan lab.
“There are forces in our world that constantly use fear and distortion to try and convince us to abandon our freedom and civil liberties,” said State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “Freedom is the Florida way, and each one of us can carry the mantle and preserve it for all people.”
The Governor has also led the nation in bucking the CDC and following the data. In 2022, he announced the establishment of the Public Health Integrity Committee. The Committee is overseen by the Surgeon General to assess federal public health recommendations and guidance to ensure that Florida’s public health policies are tailored for Florida’s communities and priorities. Additionally, the Governor petitioned for a Statewide Grand Jury to investigate crimes and wrongdoing committed against Floridians related to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Governor was the first in the nation to sign legislation in 2021 to protect Floridians from losing their jobs due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and protect parents’ rights to make healthcare decisions for students.