港澳天下彩has partnered with PolitiFact to fact-check Florida politicians. The Pulitzer Prize-winning team seeks to present the true facts, unaffected by agenda or biases.
As a new COVID-19 booster rolls out nationwide, former President Donald Trump accused one of his 2024 campaign rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, of previously forcing people to take the vaccine.
"Florida sort of had a mandate because they were giving the vaccine, they were demanding everybody take the vaccine," Trump in an interview with Megyn Kelly that aired Sept. 14 on her SiriusXM show.
PolitiFact reviewed more than two dozen DeSantis press releases and news conferences in 2020 and 2021 about the vaccine rollout. We found no instance of DeSantis, or other state officials, mandating that residents get vaccinated. A mandate is an official order or authority to carry out a policy.
When contacted for comment, the Trump campaign told PolitiFact that DeSantis "essentially" had a vaccine mandate, "especially for nursing homes," as the state pushed to vaccinate older Floridians in early 2021.
But prioritizing older residents and ramping up access does not equate to a mandate.
DeSantis responded to Trump鈥檚 claim during a Sept. 14 interview on the Steve Deace Show.
"We never mandated mRNA COVID shots," . "In fact, I called a special session of the Florida Legislature to prevent any mandates in the state, and not just by the state government and the local government, we provided protections for employees at private businesses."
Florida officials did not use authority for vaccine mandates
In March 2020, DeSantis issued an saying that travelers to Florida from the New York tri-state area had to quarantine for two weeks. The order directed the state health department to follow statute 381.00315(5).
, the section said that amid a public health emergency, the government shall adopt rules to specify conditions to release people from isolation such as "tests or treatment, including vaccination, for communicable disease required before employment or admission to the premises or to comply with an isolation or a quarantine." State officials use that authority.
In 2021, the Florida removed from that section the state health officer鈥檚 authority to order vaccinations.
Florida offered vaccines, but did not mandate them
DeSantis鈥� public statements show that he has opposed a vaccine mandate since 2020.
"Our goal is to make all safe and effective COVID vaccines available to Floridians who want them, but the state will not mandate that Floridians take these vaccines," . "That is going to be the choice of each and every Floridian."
Shortly before the federal government approved the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, : "Now, importantly, while we are encouraged, and we want to make available the vaccine, no one will be mandated to take the vaccine. This will be available, but not mandated."
"In Florida, we鈥檝e got to put our parents and grandparents first and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e going to be doing. And we鈥檙e going to work like hell to be able to get all the vaccines out to elderly who want it."
DeSantis said the state was prioritizing giving the vaccines to residents of long-term care facilities and high-risk health care workers.
In January 2021, older Floridians and health care workers. But there was no discussion of a vaccine mandate.
DeSantis in 2021 took action to block vaccine mandates
In April and May 2021, DeSantis began speaking out against vaccine mandates that had been implemented by public and private entities. He issued an and a bill to , businesses, schools and government agencies across Florida from requiring anyone to provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination.
, DeSantis appointed Dr. Joseph Ladapo as Florida鈥檚 surgeon general. As the state鈥檚 top health official, Ladapo has railed against the vaccines, that the shots aren鈥檛 necessary for healthy children, suggesting that there isn鈥檛 enough safety data to support their widespread use and presenting .
DeSantis also Florida cities from requiring that public employees get vaccinated, threatening a $5,000 fine per infraction. DeSantis also said the state wouldn鈥檛 participate in a federal vaccine lottery that would give $100 to anyone who got a vaccine.
DeSantis signed legislation that countered the Biden administration鈥檚 vaccine requirements for private businesses, allowing Florida workers to opt out. He also over its employer vaccine mandates.
This year, he that prevents mandates for testing, masking or vaccination.
Both DeSantis and Ladapo against Floridians younger than 65 years getting the new COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer and Moderna, contradicting the that everyone 6 months and older receive the boosters.
Trump in 2020 supported DeSantis and vaccinations
As president, Trump DeSantis鈥� pandemic response and encouraged people to get vaccinated.
Trump also repeatedly the vaccines and for their development.
He in September 2020 that it would be bad if people didn鈥檛 receive the vaccine. "And now what's going to happen is we'll have it and people won't want to take it. That's really bad. Ok, that's really bad. 鈥he vaccine will be safe."
Our ruling
Trump said, "Florida sort of had a mandate because they were giving the vaccine, they were demanding everybody take the vaccine."
Trump鈥檚 campaign cited early 2021 news reports and DeSantis statements chronicling the state鈥檚 push to vaccinate older Floridians. But those efforts did not equate to a mandate.
The record shows that DeSantis has opposed a vaccine mandate since 2020. We did not find any examples of DeSantis supporting a mandate.
As early as fall 2020, DeSantis said he wouldn鈥檛 mandate the COVID-19 vaccines. In 2021, he signed legislation to block vaccine mandates imposed by public and private entities.
We rate Trump鈥檚 claim Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
- YouTube, , Sept. 14, 2023
- USA Today, May 2, 2020
- Florida, , 2020
- Florida House,, 2021
- Florida statute, Accessed Sept. 14, 2023
- Alachua Chronicle, , Nov. 19, 2020
- Gov. Ron DeSantis, , Dec. 2, 2020
- Gov. Ron DeSantis, , Jan. 25, 2021
- Fox News, , Jan. 22, 2021
- Gov. Ron DeSantis, Jan. 20, 2021
- Gov. Ron DeSantis, , Jan. 25, 2021
- Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sept. 14, 2023
- Miami Herald, , Jan. 15, 2021
- News4Jax, , Dec. 22, 2020
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, , Dec. 20, 2020
- C-SPAN, Sept. 8, 2020
- PolitiFact,
- Vox, , April 27, 2023
- New York Intelligencer, . Oct 25, 2021
- Never Back Down PAC, Statement to PolitiFact, Sept. 14, 2023
- Trump campaign, Statement to PolitiFact, Sept. 14, 2023
- Email interview, Jeremy Redfern, Gov. Ron DeSantis spokesperson, Sept. 14, 2023
