Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has threatened cities and counties with fines if they require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a virus that has killed roughly 50,000 people in the state.
"If a government agency in the state of Florida forces a vaccine as a condition to employment, that violates Florida law," DeSantis said in a press conference.
"And you will face a $5,000 fine for every single violation," he added. "That's millions and millions of dollars potentially in fines."
More than 3.4 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Florida, with over 49,000 deaths. Florida is also one of several states where Republican governors have attempted to prohibit local governments and school districts from imposing mask requirements. These governors have complained that such requirements impinge on personal liberty in what has become a highly politicized fight about COVID-19 safeguards.
Proponents of mask mandates argue that they are required to slow the spread of the pandemic, which is being driven by the extremely contagious Delta strain of the coronavirus in areas with low vaccination rates.
"We are not going to let people be fired because of a vaccine mandate," DeSantis said on Monday.
"You don't just cast aside people who have been serving faithfully ... over what is basically a personal choice on their individual health."
On Friday, a Florida appeals court decided in Governor DeSantis' favor, thereby restoring the governor's ban on mask mandates in public schools. The Florida Department of Education withheld funds from two school districts that required masks in classrooms this fall late in August.
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