Florida surgeon general says agency did not study health impacts before moving to end school vaccine mandates

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo acknowledged during a national television interview that his office did not study how ending school vaccine mandates would affect rates of preventable diseases, a statement that intensified criticism of a policy he and Governor Ron DeSantis announced earlier this month.

Pressed on CNN’s State of the Union about whether his department analyzed how many new cases could emerge if vaccine requirements were scrapped, Ladapo replied, "Absolutely not." He told host Jake Tapper that he saw no need for such an analysis, asking rhetorically, "Do I need to analyze whether it's appropriate for parents to be able to decide what goes into their children's bodies? I don't need to do an analysis on that," and adding, "My position will never change, because it will always be true that parents should be able to decide what goes into their kids' bodies."

Ladapo, who has been a vocal critic of vaccines, announced on Sept. 3 alongside DeSantis that he would move to repeal the state's longstanding school vaccination requirements, saying he would end "every last one" of them. At the news conference, Ladapo called the mandates "wrong and drips with disdain and slavery," and asked, "Who am I as a government or anyone else… to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don't have that right."

Florida's childhood vaccination rates already lag behind the national average. State and federal data show 88.7% of kindergarteners in Florida had received the measles, mumps and rubella shot, compared with about 92% nationwide. Public health officials have also reported rising cases of hepatitis A, chickenpox and whooping cough in the state in recent months.

Ladapo's public comments and his refusal to commission analyses of potential disease consequences have drawn criticism from medical organizations and political leaders across the spectrum. The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Florida Medical Association publicly opposed the plan. Fox News medical correspondent Dr. Marc Siegel described the decision as "absurd and disturbing beyond belief." Democratic state lawmakers called the move "reckless and dangerous" and warned it could amount to a public health disaster.

Ladapo has questioned the effectiveness of certain vaccines, singling out the whooping cough shot as "ineffective" at preventing transmission — a characterization rejected by mainstream medical groups. During the CNN interview, Tapper said he was "kind of shocked" that the surgeon general had not produced any projections or data analyses to support the policy shift.

The proposal has prompted comment from national figures as well. Former President Donald Trump, speaking in the White House on Sept. 5, said he was uneasy about the move, noting that some vaccines, including polio shots, are "so amazing" and urging caution about removing mandates. The state announcement followed DeSantis' unveiling of a "Florida Make America Healthy Again" commission, described by the governor as aligned with the positions of Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s health initiatives.

Ladapo's decision to proceed without formal modeling or projections marks a notable departure from typical public health policymaking, which often relies on epidemiological analyses to estimate the effects of changes to vaccination policy. Medical associations and physicians who oppose the repeal cited established evidence that vaccine requirements have helped maintain herd immunity and prevent outbreaks of measles, polio and other serious illnesses.

In response to the criticism, Ladapo has framed the change as a matter of parental rights and individual choice rather than a technical public health determination. The governor's office has defended the initiative as part of a broader effort to reshape health policy in the state.

The policy shift remains in the early stages of implementation. Public health officials, medical societies and some elected officials have urged continued monitoring of disease incidence and vaccination coverage, while opponents have called for the surgeon general and state officials to provide data to justify the repeal. As debate continues, public health groups stressed that vaccine-preventable diseases can spread rapidly when immunization rates fall, citing historical outbreaks linked to declines in coverage.