Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called lawmakers back to Tallahassee for a special session. He wanted action on loosening school vaccine requirements. The Republican-led House said no. Minutes into proceedings on April 28, 2026, Speaker Daniel Perez announced his chamber wouldn’t touch the “Medical Freedom” bill. The proposal died on the spot.
Perez, a Miami Republican and father of three young children, didn’t mince words. He worried about “children being in school without measles and mumps and polio and chickenpox vaccines that have been working for decades.” The New York Times captured his discomfort. “That was something that I was uncomfortable with.” The Senate had revived the bill from the regular session. House leaders shelved it anyway.
And DeSantis fired back fast. On social media, he labeled the move “typical political shenanigans.” Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo echoed the frustration. “The governor’s agenda to defend freedom, whether from medical tyranny or tech oligarchs, is something Floridians and Americans everywhere want and value,” Ladapo posted. “Members of the Florida House should be leading that effort, not standing in the way.” Ars Technica detailed the clash.
The bill—Senate Bill 6D in the special session—would have added a “conscience” exemption to school immunization rules. Florida already permits medical and religious opt-outs. This one targeted parental beliefs. It also pushed for over-the-counter sales of ivermectin and a ban on mRNA vaccine mandates. Provisions like forcing doctors to treat unvaccinated patients appeared in earlier House versions, HB 917. None advanced.
Public opinion weighs heavy here. An October 2025 University of North Florida poll showed 63% of Floridians oppose ending vaccine mandates. Forty-eight percent strongly against. Measles cases ticked up amid debates, adding pressure on lawmakers. NPR noted Democrats’ resistance too. State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith questioned the need: “It’s currently very easy to opt out for religious reasons.”
DeSantis’s Long Fight Against Mandates Hits GOP Wall
DeSantis and Ladapo kicked off this campaign in September 2025. Ladapo vowed to scrap “all of them, all of them, every last one of them.” He called mandates “wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.” They targeted vaccines for chickenpox, hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease, and Hib first—changes doable via health department rules. Core shots like MMR, DTaP, and polio need laws. Those stalled.
But the House isn’t budging. This special session flop follows regular session failures. In March 2026, DeSantis blasted House leaders post-adjournment. Speaker Perez declared no last-minute bills without prior hearings. HB 917 never reached committee. Miami Herald reported the growing rift. The House also punted DeSantis’s AI regulation bills that day. Redistricting took center stage instead.
Context matters. Florida banned workplace COVID vaccine mandates years ago. DeSantis signed laws fining businesses for requirements. He recruited out-of-state cops dodging shots. Yet school rules persist. Seventeen states allow non-medical exemptions already. Florida’s push mirrors that. Critics see risks amid rising outbreaks.
Ladapo presses on administratively. He’s eyeing those four non-legislative vaccines. DeSantis might call another session. Or pivot. Perez holds firm: House position “fairly clear,” per CBS Miami. GOP infighting exposes fractures. Freedom rhetoric meets practical fears. Parents. Classrooms. Proven shots.
Outcomes loom large. Unvaccinated kids in schools. Potential outbreaks. Political fallout for DeSantis in a red state. House Republicans prioritize stability. DeSantis demands bolder moves. The tug-of-war defines Florida’s GOP now.
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