After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called for a special session last week to legislatively oppose President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates, the date has now been set and Florida’s top Republicans have said they are unified in their message and intent.
Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R-FL-65) and Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-FL-10) issued a joint message ahead of the special session set to run from November 15 through November 19.
“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.”
Sprowls and Simpson continued by saying Biden’s vaccine mandates are “un-American.”
“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,” the top Republicans said.
DeSantis has previously said that he has felt “stabbed in the back” by businesses after some have imposed vaccine mandates, especially after DeSantis worked with the Florida Legislature and passed COVID liability protections for businesses. However, the plan for the upcoming special session will likely not include repeals to liability protections.
The DeSantis administration, instead, is relying on Florida’s recently signed “vaccine passport ban,” which was recently maintained in a legal challenge. As a result, vaccine mandates in Florida were struck down.
“Prohibiting businesses from requiring patrons to produce documentary proof of vaccination or recovery may or may not be a good idea,” said Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith after his ruling striking down vaccine mandates. “Notwithstanding, that decision belongs solely to the legislature and is subject to approval or rejection by the voters at the ballot box.”
DeSantis’ hope for the upcoming special session is to ban cities and counties from requiring vaccine mandates as conditions of employment, but he is not supportive of blanket vaccine mandate bans which would include private employers. Rather, DeSantis would prefer to see expanded worker protections within the private sector.
– – –
Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and the Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Photo “Chris Sprowls” by Florida House of Representatives. Photo “Wilton Simpson” by Wilton Simpson. Background Photo “COVID-19 Vaccine” by x3.
