# Florida announces plan to end all childhood vaccine mandates

Date: 2025

On September 3, 2025, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, with the backing of Governor Ron DeSantis, announced a plan to eliminate all of the state's school-age vaccination mandates, including longstanding requirements for measles, polio, chickenpox and hepatitis B. Officials said the Health Department could rescind some requirements through its own rule-making while others would require action by the state legislature. Florida would be the first US state to attempt to eliminate so many mandates at once. The announcement drew criticism from pediatricians and public-health officials, including the president of the [American Academy of Pediatrics](/organizations/ph-american-academy-of-pediatrics), who warned it could raise children's risk of disease.

## Drivers

- Public and donor investment in immunization systems: https://factrail.ai/drivers/ph-immunization-investment

## Sources

_Sources are listed on the canonical page._

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/ph-fact-florida-end-vaccine-mandates-2025