Businesses asking for proof of vaccination or government agencies mandating vaccination for employees will be facing $5,000 fines per violation, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) reiterated this week.
DeSantis in May signed a bill allowing “the state to issue fines beginning Sept. 16 if people are asked to show proof they have received a COVID-19 vaccine before being allowed in businesses, schools, or government buildings,” WFTV 9 reported.
According to the legislation, businesses, government agencies, and schools in the state of Florida will be fined $5,000 “per individual and separate violation.”
“Those who violate the rule will be issued a notice of the infraction and have a chance to appeal the fine,” WFTV 9 noted. “If the appeal fails, the fine must be paid within 30 days.”
“If a government agency in the state of Florida forces a vaccine as a condition of employment, that violates Florida law and you will face a $5,000 fine for every single violation,” the Republican governor recently said.
DeSantis, who’s been one of the nation’s most prominent governors leading in vaccination accessibility, recently blasted President Joe Biden for indicating he’ll mandate vaccination for all federal employees — with some apparent exemptions — and force many private businesses to mandate vaccination against COVID, too.
“These mandates, this is not about science — because if it was about science, you would recognize the infection conferred immunity,” DeSantis recently said. “Israel did a study. They said it was much, much more protective than the Pfizer vaccine. Cleveland clinic did a study, same thing. Every single credible study always shows that it [natural immunity] provides good protection. And so that’s just the reality.”
“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,” the Republican continued. “And instead they ignore it.”
DeSantis also slammed Biden for apparent exemptions to his mandates that are inconsistent with science.
The Biden administration “issuing this mandate for private-sector employees, but also for all federal employees, but they’re exempting the post office. They’re exempting members of Congress and members of Congress’s staff. So how does that work?” questioned DeSantis. “Can someone explain the science to me behind exempting? First of all, I don’t think the post office should be forced either, but if you’re going to do a mandate and you say you’re following science and you exempt a major part of the federal workforce, and then you exempt Congress and you exempt the staff of Congress.”
“When I was in Congress, I actually proposed the 28th amendment,” he said. “Congress shouldn’t make any law that doesn’t apply to them and their staff. So those glaring exemptions. So if you’re somebody who’s working again, I don’t think postal should be forced. Don’t get me wrong. But Biden thinks everyone should be forced except you deliver mail somehow. That’s fine. But if you’re somebody — a nurse who’s been working in the ICU for a private hospital for a year and a half treating COVID patients and likely has already had COVID then somehow you’re going to get fired unless you follow the mandate. How does that make sense at all?”
“It doesn’t, this is all political. It’s all about using government. And it’s wrong.”
WATCH:
"If a government agency in the state of Florida forces a vaccine as a condition of employment, that violates Florida law and you will face a $5,000 fine for every single violation." -Gov. DeSantis pic.twitter.com/E36cDTdslA
— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 13, 2021