Florida Officials Debate Childhood Vaccine Changes as Immunization Rate Slips to 89%
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Oct 9
Florida Officials Debate Childhood Vaccine Changes as Immunization Rate Slips to 89%
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Oct 9
Summary
Florida health officials met to review proposed changes to childhood vaccine plans and immunization-database opt-out forms, with Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo framing the move as restoring parental control.
Ladapo said the hearing was not meant to revisit vaccine science, arguing the medical system had become too reliant on vaccines to manage public health and that parental rights should carry more weight.
89% of Florida children are now vaccinated, down from 94% just before the Covid pandemic, and critics warned the state's stance could further chill community immunization.
Jacksonville physician Danielle Carter said weaker database accuracy could leave families without reliable local vaccination data, citing a pregnant teacher who used it to judge whether classroom work was safe.
Supporters of the changes, including Hope House's Daniel Rudy, said parents—not public-health systems—should control decisions for children, underscoring the state's widening vaccine-policy divide.