Florida touts doctor freedom but pushes them to take unvaccinated kids

Some pediatricians in Florida deny unvaccinated children. DeSantis wants to change that.

In Florida, you can’t turn away a patient on the basis of their race, color, sex, religion or national origin. But a doctor can turn someone away if they’re unvaccinated.

And in the Tampa Bay area, several pediatricians do.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo want to end that. In a news conference earlier this month, where they discussed a plan to make Florida the only state in the nation without any vaccine mandates, DeSantis said pediatricians should not deny care to children because they don’t have certain vaccinations.

“That’s wrong, and it’s coercive,” DeSantis said. “It tries to undercut your ability to choose.”

Two years ago, DeSantis and the Legislature were adamant about giving doctors the freedom to run their practice as they please. In 2023, the governor signed a bill allowing physicians the ability to deny any patient a treatment if it violates their conscience or morals.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2025/09/24/florida-vaccine-requirement-desantis-ladapo-measles-conscience/