As he indicated he would do, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed an Executive Order prohibiting Florida-issued “vaccine passports.”
The Biden administration has been discussing vaccine passports or credentials as a way for Americans to prove their vaccination record. Feeling that this possibility would create a vaccine mandate, Governor DeSantis signed his Executive Order, which states “No Florida government entity, or its subdivisions, agents, or assigns shall be permitted to issue vaccine passports, vaccine passes, or other standardized documentation for the purpose of certifying an individual’s COVID-19 vaccination status to a third party.”
Furthermore, the Executive Order states that “Businesses in Florida are prohibited from requiring patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business.”
This essentially prohibits local governments from issuing any sort of vaccine credentials and business from requiring them for entry and service.
Keep checking WDWNT for more information.
Good luck in the ocean Florida.
Thank you DeSantis! A win for civil liberties.
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
-Benjamin Franklin
This is going to be challenged. It’s one thing if it’s a discrimination thing. But if a private business wants to refuse to serve anyone that it would be deemed unsafe for public health to serve, that should be up to the business’ discrimination, not the state’s.
I agree. Most vaccines are tested for years before they can hit the market. I am not getting this new vaccine because it was pushed through and there are no way of knowing if it has any long term side effects. No one should be forced to get it just to travel to certain areas or businesses.
If you are comfortable getting it and want it, then great. But you should not be ostracized for not having it.
Ah, political grandstanding at its finest.
The state of Florida *requires* proof of vaccination/immunization for kids to participate in public and private pre-school through high school. Yet he says, “It’s completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society.”
At least as recent as 2018, the courts have upheld a businesses right to require immunizations for their customers and employees. Overall, the Supreme Court rulings have upheld the same.
If any businesses choose to challenge this in the courts, he will lose. But that’s not the point, right? DeSantis did this just so he can have another 15 minutes of fame.
Paul, he did this to protect businesses in Florida. If businesses were allowed to profile people based on vaccine status, those businesses would open themselves for massive consumer litigation battles and suffer long-term loss of revenue, not to mention a messy PR fiasco and tarnished image which jeopardizes future valuation of those companies.
Imagine if large in-state employers like Disney, Universal, Public, etc. implemented such a model? They would not be able recover from the 1+ yr of suppressed profits nor be able to maintain reasonable future growth margins. I know your liberal mind cannot comprehend this move, the Gov. did the right thing.
Prince, those businesses were already protected. You forget that the federal and Supreme courts have already ruled on this. Repeatedly. And in favor of the businesses and states that wish to require proof of vaccination. Heck, as I pointed out, the state of Florida itself has existing laws on its books requiring proof of vaccinations.
Now you bring up good points about whether this is in the company’s best interest. That’s for each to decide. But there’s actually pretty strong support for vaccine “passports” across the country.
I know your conservative mind cannot comprehend the law, and has little to no regard for the Supreme Court. But, the governor did the wrong thing. And has opened the state itself up to potential law suits. (yes, those have occurred in the past, and won, as well).
It’s good to see America remembering that it’s the land of the free and home to the brave. Last year it was the land of the slaves and home of the cowards. Welcome back America!
Something DeSantis is being short sighted about: He really wants to see cruise ships return, but that is an industry that is likely to require vaccine passports. If he plays games like this, he will likely see ships go somewhere else and leave Florida ports empty.