Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was re-elected on November 8th, 2022 with a double-digit lead and has since sought to make permanent laws that would threaten businesses with fines for requiring their workers to obtain the Covid-19 vaccine. DeSantis has also encouraged protecting medical practitioners who express positions that contradict medical consensus, and lobbied the Florida Supreme Court to investigate the vaccine's development, distribution and promotion.
Despite his efforts to make shots available to seniors in 2021, DeSantis has become more skeptical of Covid-19 vaccines as his 2024 presidential ambitions grow. He has proposed making permanent existing laws that threaten businesses with fines for requiring workers to get the Covid-19 vaccine, and encouraged protecting medical practitioners who express positions that contradict medical consensus. Furthermore, the Florida Department of Health has discouraged men under 40 from getting the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine due to concerns about side effects.
The divide between DeSantis and the Biden administration over vaccine mandates has caused much controversy, with many conservatives challenging the current government. As DeSantis continues to take a stand against Covid-19 vaccine requirements, the effects this will have on public health and safety remains to be seen.