Gov. Ron DeSantis Plans to Fine Florida Counties, Cities if They Implement Vaccine Mandates
DeSantis also derides Biden for ignoring ‘natural immunity’ in vaccine mandates.
As the Biden team braces for what is likely to be a spate of legal challenges against the proposed vaccine mandate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis torpedoed the rule quickly.
He then countered with a fine if state entities proceed to implement it.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday said any cities or counties in the state that mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for public government employees will be fined $5,000 per worker.
Gov. DeSantis spoke in Alachua County Monday morning. He said government agencies in violation could potentially face millions of dollars in penalties.
“We are going to stand for the men and women who are serving us,” DeSantis said. “We are gonna protect Florida jobs. We are not gonna let people be fired because of a vaccine mandate.”
Governor DeSantis holds a press conference to address the recent attacks on Floridians’ freedoms.
Watch Live: https://t.co/cqihDm4nFg
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 13, 2021
DeSantis asserted that such mandates violate a state law passed during the most recent legislative session that prevents private businesses and government agencies from requiring proof of vaccination.
“So if you look at places here in Alachua County, like the city of Gainesville, I mean that’s millions and millions of dollars potentially in fines. Orange County — many, many more than that,” DeSantis said, adding that “the net result of Biden’s policy is you’re going to have good, hardworking people lose their jobs, and they’re going to lose their jobs in very key industries.”
“I just think it’s fundamentally wrong. We should not be allowing the federal government to attack people’s livelihoods,” he said.
Ron DeSantis also derided Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates for “not following science” on the natural immunity people acquire from already being infected.
“These mandates, this is not about science,” the Republican governor said during a press conference in Alachua County. “Because if it was about science, you would recognize the infection conferred immunity.”
“Every single credible study always shows that it [natural immunity] provides good protection,” he continued. “So I don’t support mandates at all, but if you’re doing mandate based off this, if you were really following science, you would acknowledge this natural immunity. And instead they ignore it. … It’s really about using government power, control to mandate, much more than it is about the underlying medical issues that are involved.”
As I noted last week, the number of COVID-cases is declining as this particular infection wave recedes.
There are also some promising signs in Covid hospitalization and death tallies. The data on these tends to lag case counts by a couple weeks or more, as it takes time for people to become infected with the virus and then get sick enough to need urgent care.
About 100,600 Americans are currently hospitalized with Covid, according to a seven-day average of data from the Department of Health and Human Services. That’s down 2% from a week ago.
Though current hospitalizations had not been over 100,000 since January before crossing that level again in late August, the pace of new Covid patients entering the hospital is now on the decline. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows a 6.8% drop in the seven-day average of hospital admissions for the week ending Sept. 10 compared to the week prior.
DeSantis’ plan is the more intelligent choice to make, as it properly allows people to choose how to handle their own risk while preventing them from becoming unemployed….which can be every bit as harmful and potentially lethal as a coronavirus infection.
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In two secret phone calls that took place Oct. 30, 2020, four days before the presidential election, and Jan. 8, two days after the Capitol riot, Milley allegedly millet assured Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army that the U.S. would not strike and he would warn the Chinese in case of an attack, according to excerpts of the book “Peril” reviewed by The Washington Post.
This is what real treason looks like.
1. If true. That’s a huge “if”. How many untruths have these authors told about Trump? How many did they tell about Reagan and both Bushes?
2. Even if true it would not be treason unless the motive was adherence to the Chinese cause. Here the motive alleged by the authors is just the opposite — according to them he was trying to reassure the Chinese and talk them down from any precipitate action. If so that would have been advancing the USA’s interests, which was precisely his duty. Just like Michael Flynn trying to talk the Russians down from overreacting to 0bama’s parting “gift” to them.
He was able to promise to warn his friend if there was going to be an attack because he knew there wasn’t going to be one and it was in the USA’s interest that the Chinese know this and not start preparing for one. He should have notified the president and asked permission to convey this message; but failure to do so is not treason. Insubordination at most.
Now had he suddenly received an order to attack, and made good on his promise, that would have been treason. But we have no way of knowing whether he would have done so. His duty would have been to break the promise that he had given in good faith.
Anyway, all that is on the assumption that the story is even true.
Oops, there should be a </i> after the first “If”.
You clearly have zero understanding of the military and what is acceptable and what isn’t. This DOES constitute treason. He should not just be fired but brought up on charges immediately.
If true. That’s a huge “if”. How many untruths have these authors told about Trump?
True, but I am having a hard time seeing how this revelation hurts Trump more than Milley and Pelosi. Milley could have talked to his generals and admirals and told them to ignore orders to nuke China without phoning the Chicoms.
Even if true it would not be treason unless the motive was adherence to the Chinese cause. Here the motive alleged by the authors is just the opposite — according to them he was trying to reassure the Chinese and talk them down from any precipitate action.
That may be what the authors hope we believe, but frankly it doesn’t pass the smell test. Consider what they are asking us to accept as true: the Chicoms willing to stand down in the face of a possible nuclear strike ….. based upon the word of an American general? The Chicoms don’t even trust each other THAT much! The only way this scenario is remotely plausible is if Milley and a good portion of the Pentagon were owned lock, stock, and barrel by the Chicoms (a possibility that unfortunately can’t be dismissed outright) and could make good on their promise. But to me it still sounds fishy.
There is NO WAY the Chicoms would agree to stand down based upon a vague promise like the one Milley allegedly made. This is 100% pure speculation on my part, and I have zero evidence of this, but I think there was a conversation between Milley and the Chicoms. Only it was MUCH worse than what has been reported. The only way the Chicoms would have taken Milley seriously is if he promised (subtly or openly) a military coup against Trump if he tried to use military force.
The possibility of a military coup in the US is unfortunately not impossible. The last few years we saw open disrespect and insubordination from flag officers that is characteristic of a banana republic, not a Constitutional one. As I said, this is 100% speculation on my part, and I will yield to evidence to the contrary. But I would like to see a better theory that takes into account ALL the events since Trump became President.
Milhouse, I always enjoy reading your comments – even if I sometimes disagree. 🙂
DeSantis should make the fine $14,000. To offset Biden’s fine and extend an unambiguous middle finger right at him.
#FJB.
Getting into some “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” territory over these damn mandates! Don’t like DeSantis having to do this but since since The Mistake is pushing this Ron needs to put some teeth behind that Florida law if he wants it followed.
It does put the local authorities in a bind, because if the rule OSHA ends up coming out with turns out to be valid, meaning within the authority the congress gave it, then it will override the Florida law and they will be required to obey it and disobey the state law. But that’s a huge “if”, and if the rule ends up getting struck down then they will have run afoul of the state law. So what are they to do?
Perhaps another way to express that is it places local officials at a decision point with their choices either more individual liberty or less individual liberty.
What it does is make them choose between freedom and fascism.
DeSantis is on the wrong side of the issue here.
He actually campaigned on “local rule” and now he is doing state wide mandates.
Let local boards decide. They can react and pivot faster than Tallahassee and have the same freedoms DeSantis wants.
No, he’s on the side of freedom. And he’s promoting the localest of local rule — that of the individual.
No, he’s on the side of freedom.
Really? What “freedom” is that? The “freedom” he imposes on people?
Once again, he campaigned on “home rule” and his mandate negates home rule.
That’s hypocritical.
that of the individual.
So local governments can never institute laws or rules and must bow to the state level?
That stance is against a Supreme Court ruling, in case you weren’t aware.
In essence, you are spouting the despicable “sovereign citizen” nonsense that basically says “you’re not the boss of me!”
I am not against parents being allowed to make the choice for themselves. I am against some elected official hundreds of miles away making that choice for them. DeSantis is doing the same thing as Biden and his mandates.
He’s on the side of the most local, smallest minority and that is the individual. When they ban mask mandates, that does not remove the individual’s choice about whether or not to wear on. The same with vaccines, nobody is banning people from getting vaccinated if they want it, he’s simply saying that a fascist can’t force you to get vaccinated against your better judgement.
“I am not against parents being allowed to make the choice for themselves.”
Of course you are. You are saying that a local government can force vaccines on people. Where do the parents (or anyone) get a choice in such a case? For someone who allegedly champions freedom and the individual and isn’t a fan of hypocrisy, I find this amusing. You are clearly peachy with interference, as long as the “right” people interfere.
It is absolutely ludicrous to compare DeSantis to Biden. Biden is, in fact, forcing action on the citizenry – not just that, but arbitrarily. DeSantis preventing forced action, consistently across the board.
Of course you are. You are saying that a local government can force vaccines on people.
I went back and read my response and I don’t see anything about forced vaccinations. Perhaps you misunderstood?
You are clearly peachy with interference, as long as the “right” people interfere.
You don’t think that DeSantis’ mandate is interference?
DeSantis preventing forced action, consistently across the board.
DeSantis is preventing people in their local communities – communities he knows very little to nothing about – to bend to his will.
The fact that he is willing to withhold salaries to teachers and monies due to local school districts is no different than Biden saying he won’t give Federal dollars to states that defy him.
Once again, DeSantis campaigned on local and home rule. His handling of the pandemic in the State of Florida has been great up until the point where he started to break campaign promises and act like a fiscal bully.
Unlike you and others, I would rather the people of a community work to come up with a solution on whether they want masks in their schools. You’re clearly happy with some guy hundreds of miles telling people what they can and cannot do.
BTW – this issue crosses party lines. I live in a highly conservative county in Florida. When the judge initially ruled against the mandate the school board voted to implement masks.
It was messy. It was angry. Many comments made to the board made no sense on both sides of the issue.
But at least it was local. We can see the board members and talk to them in our restaurants, stores and streets. People that campaigned for them to be elected can contact them. Kids who go to school with their kids can see them in the school lines, or drive to the school board centers.
That’s where DeSantis went wrong. He decided that his judgement overrode all local voices.
No leader is perfect and this is one of those cases where DeSantis is wrong for taking the power and authority of local boards.
gitarcarver – if you support localities deciding whether to force vaccines on people (let them do it or let them not), you are, in fact, approving of forced vaccinations. You would do nothing to stop them, right? Let So And So County force vaccinations on residents, and if neighboring counties want to do the same or not do the same, then fine. There is no other way to interpret what you’re saying. The issue with you is who is making these decisions, not the decisions themselves.
That’s where you and I differ. I abhor forced vaccinations, period. Yes, I support this “interference” by DeSantis. I’m not a libertarian.
Not to get into why you are wrong philosophically let’s just focus on this particular instance.
Here local government has no freedom in the first place, it is subjected to (almost certainly illegal) OSHA rules, and the Floridian law that prohibits them from doing what the (unconstitutional) OSHA ukase demands of them. The governor warning them that the law will actually be executed will come as a surprise to noone, except maybe Democrats that seem to find this whole concept of the rule of law mystifying.
Local and state governments are not bound by OSHA rules. The tenth amendment of the US Constitution is the thing.
Local and state governments are not bound by OSHA rules. The tenth amendment of the US Constitution is the thing.
Cities and counties are subdivisions of the state, they are beholden to the state. The states are the pre-eminent level of government constitutionally.
The absence of a mandate is not a mandate. People now have several choices to mitigate infection and disease progression. Assess the risk of each and proceed accordingly.
“such mandates violate a state law passed during the most recent legislative session”
I haven’t heard anything about that. What’s the bill designation and effective date? This does nothing about mask and testing mandates, which are still a big problem.
Actually, it does affect the mask mandates, as that has been going back and forth in the courts for the last few weeks.
Outstanding. DeSantis will make a great VP under Trump and then serve two terms as President.
States and their sub-divisions do not have to enforce or administer federal laws.
There is a SCOTUS ruling that says that mandates regarding the health and welfare of people, such as in a pandemic, are legal and Constitutional Points to consider from the 1905 ruling on mandates in Jacobson vs. Mass. The Court said one person’s liberty can’t trump everyone’s else’s and statewide mandates were Constitutional. It specifically refers to Governors since it was the state being sued.
This is obviously a major break between the individualist and socialists. The socialists in this case referring to those who believe they have a responsibility to the society they live in and not to the economic idea of a socialist
Society is the organization that makes it possible for all of to live and enjoy the fruits of our labors with more freedom to make choices than any society in history. If we can’t all take the steps necessary to protect the most vulnerable in our society because it cramps our personal style, then we are not a free people. We are then a dysfunctional collection of individualists who have their homes and lives to defend, from neighbors, from outside interlopers, buying, taking or stealing their lives and property from organized gangs or other nations.
The lives of those not immune to the virus are at stake, not to mention the large number that are sick or recovering are having a negative effect on the economy. The more people that are sick or recovering or now have a long term disability, the less productive the economy is going to be. It is not a question of how long will it take to turn it into another variant of the common flu or tamp it down, it’s how many of us is it going to kill before