Sen. Joe Gruters’ Proposed Bill Removes FL Health Department’s Power To Mandate Vaccines

SARASOTA, FL – State Sen. Joe Gruters wants to take away the Florida Department of Health’s authority to mandate vaccines for state residents.

The Sarasota-based politician and Florida GOP chair introduced a bill Tuesday calling for the amendment of current state law, which says that health department leaders has the power to require people to get vaccinated during a public health emergency.

The way Florida’s public health law is currently written, during a public health emergency, such as a pandemic, the state health officer can order individuals “to be examined, tested, vaccinated, treated, isolated or quarantined for communicable diseases that have significant morbidity or mortality and present a severe danger to public health.”

Those who are “unable or unwilling” to follow these orders “may be subjected to isolation or quarantine,” especially “if the individual poses a danger to public health,” according to Florida law. “If there is no practical method to isolate or quarantine the individual, the State Health Officer may use any means necessary to vaccinate or treat the individual.”

Gruters’ proposed bill, SB 734, amends this law to remove any mention of the words “vaccinated” or “vaccinate,” taking this authority away from state health leaders.

His bill is identical to two state house bills — HB 6009 filed by Rep. Anthony Sabatini and HB 6069 filed by Rep. Jason Shoaf.