The Florida Department of Health on Tuesday issued a fine of over $3.5 million to a county government for violating the state’s ban on vaccine passports — the first time the state has punished a locality for defying its mandate.
The health department said in a statement that officials in Leon County, where Tallahassee is located, violated state law when it mandated in late July that its 700 employees provide proof of vaccination no later than Oct. 1. Then, on Oct. 4, county officials fired 14 employees for failing to comply with the requirement.
“It is unacceptable that Leon County violated Florida law, infringed on current and former employees’ medical privacy, and fired loyal public servants because of their personal health decisions,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said in a statement.
DeSantis, who has consistently resisted mask and vaccine mandates even as cases rise in the state, signed a bill this past May, banning vaccine passports in the state — particularly banning local governments from requiring any person, including an employee, to provide proof of vaccination. The law, which took effect last month, also fines the entity $5,000 per violation.
In a Tuesday statement, Leon County Administrator Vincent Long said the county believes its vaccination requirement is “legally justifiable” and necessary to keep the public safe.
“The governor’s position in this instance unfortunately appears to be less of a public health strategy and more about political strategy,” he said. “Leon County fully intends to enforce its rights using any remedies available to settle all arguments about the applicability of the statute at issue so that we can continue to direct our full and undivided attention on combating the virus, protecting our employees and citizens, and fulfilling our obligations to our community.”
The governor has been under consistent scrutiny by critics for his handling of the pandemic in the state, and has also taken heat from the White House over his resistance to implementing stringent public safety guidelines.
Other GOP-led states, such as Texas and Montana, have also enacted laws against mandating masks, vaccines, and proof of vaccination. On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order banning any entity in the state, including private employers, from having Covid vaccination requirements.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at Tuesday’s press conference that DeSantis and Abbott are “putting politics ahead of public health.”
“Over 700,000 American lives have been lost due to Covid-19, including more than 56,000 in Florida and over 68,000 in Texas,” she said. “And every leader should be focused on supporting efforts to save lives and end the pandemic.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
