Overview
- On Monday the Florida Department of Health published a proposed administrative rule, approved by Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, to remove hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcal vaccines from the state agency’s K–12 school-entry requirements.
- The rule would also broaden exemptions to cover sincerely held moral or ethical beliefs and let parents and college students opt out of including their records in SHOTS, the state immunization registry.
- The publication begins a 21-day period for public comment and requests for formal hearings under Florida’s rulemaking process, and any unchanged rule could be halted by a challenge in the Division of Administrative Hearings.
- Major medical groups and pediatricians warned the change would raise the risk of preventable disease spread, pointing to Florida’s recent measles surge and urging retention of immunization safeguards.
- The proposal has already become a campaign issue in the 2026 governor’s race, with some candidates supporting further review and others promising to remove or fire the surgeon general if elected.