Florida Will Start Issuing $5,000 Fines To Businesses, Schools & Government Agencies That Ask For Proof Of Vaccination
Ron DeSantis's war on vaccines continues
Hunter Crenian / Shutterstock.com In Ron DeSantis’ latest attempt to squash vaccination efforts, a law passed by the Florida governor will allow the state to start issuing fines to schools, businesses, and government agencies that ask for proof of vaccination.
In DeSantis' ongoing fight with public schools who are trying to enforce masks, this will further the tensions that school administrators will likely suffer — as will those who work in food service or retail that are constantly being exposed to people.
Florida schools and business can now be fined $5,000 for requiring proof of vaccination.
If a business or school l wants to require all customers or students to be vaccinated, they could face a $5,000 fine for proof of vaccination they ask for.
Yes, that means a fine every time proof of vaccination is required. It's a stacking fine, and not a one time deal.
This leaves business with no financially responsible option other than to scrap vaccine mandates.
"Promises made, promises kept," DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske said Wednesday.
Florida employees may still be required to get vaccinated.
The rule will not affect businesses that require their employees to be vaccinated — private business can still check for and mandate vaccinations.
According to legal experts, Florida has very little workers rights and employees can be terminated for almost anything, which could include not being vaccinated or not showing proof of vaccination.
This may explain why DeSantis' new rules won't affect employees, though maybe he'll find a way around that soon too.
Cruise ships may still require proof of vaccination in Florida.
The cruise line industry will also be unaffected by the new law because of a federal court order that temporarily blocked enforcement of the law on cruise ships, which DeSantis will try to appeal.
“We believe the ruling will be overturned upon appeal, and we are confident in the legal basis for Florida’s vaccine passport ban,” press secretary Christina Pushaw said in an email on Aug. 24.
The Agriculture Commissioner, Nikki Fried, who also happens to be the only statewide elected Democrat, was very critical of the new rule.
"Governor DeSantis is retaliating against Floridians who are trying to protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19," Fried wrote on Twitter. "This not only goes against common sense — it’s also an insult to the free market principles that he claims to champion."
She hopes to run against DeSantis in the next governor election in 2022, but is unlikely to win as Florida is a predominantly red state who hasn’t had a Democratic governor since 1994.
Ron DeSantis' war on vaccines looks set to continue.
DeSantis has historically been against ‘vaccine passports’ — the concept of requiring proof of vaccination — in order to go anywhere, and this is his fight against that.
He said that requiring proof of vaccinations would create "huge" privacy issues that could result in people handing over medical information to a "big corporation."
"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," the governor said before signing his executive order.
"If you want to go to the movie theater, should you have to show that? No. If you want to go to a game, no. If you want to go to a theme park, no,” he continued.
“I think it’s something that people have certain freedoms and individual liberties to make decisions for themselves."
With 40,000 new Covid cases and over 1300 deaths in the past two days alone, according to The New York Times, and schools starting back up, this is bound to cause more issues for schools and administrators.
Many are trying to fight back against DeSantis’ threats to withhold teacher salaries in schools that require masks — and now vaccines.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice and politics.