Florida is the first state to bring a comprehensive legal action against the federal contractor vaccine mandateLAKELAND, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a lawsuit against the Biden Administration’s order requiring employees of federal contractors to be vaccinated by December 8, following through on a promise to take legal action to stop federal overreach and making Florida the first state in the nation to hold the President accountable. The lawsuit seeks an immediate end to the unlawful requirement that federal contractors ensure that all employees have received a mandated injection. The Governor was joined at the announcement by Attorney General Ashley Moody, as well as Floridians who have faced or are facing consequences as a result of vaccine mandates. The lawsuit can be found here. “Just months ago Joe Biden was saying that it wouldn’t be appropriate or lawful for the federal government to mandate these COVID shots,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “But now we have somehow gone from 15 days to slow the spread to 3 jabs to keep your job. The federal government is exceeding their power and it is important for us to take a stand because in Florida we believe these are choices based on individual circumstances.” Last week, Governor DeSantis announced a Special Session of the Florida Legislature to provide protections for employees and defend the right of parents to opt their children out of school mask and quarantine mandates. The Governor has been working closely with the House and Senate as we move forward and the dates of the Special Session will be announced this week. “Governor DeSantis has made it abundantly clear that we have a responsibility to fight back against unconstitutional federal overreach and that is exactly what we will accomplish through this lawsuit and during the upcoming Special Session,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “We look forward to working with Senate President Simpson and House Speaker Sprowls to empower parents, provide protections for employees, and further protect our rights and liberties that we hold dear as Floridians.” “I have never seen such blatant disregard for the Constitution or the laws governing our country,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “President Biden does not have the authority to force millions of Americans to receive a shot, nor does he have the ability to punish Florida economically for not abiding by his authoritarian, unlawful, and unconstitutional executive order. I promised to challenge this gross abuse of power and to stand up for hardworking Floridians and that is exactly why I am suing this president and his reckless administration. As Attorney General, I have an obligation to defend the rule of law, Florida’s workers, and our state against heavy-handed federal overreach.” “These federal mandates through the contractor relationship are creating a system that is forcing our vendors to make a choice between keeping their jobs and providing for their families or taking a jab that might not meet their own personal health needs, religious needs, or whatever it may be,” said Robert Doyle, Director of the Florida Division of Blind Services. “This is not a conversation about a vaccine. This is a conversation about federal overreach. This is a conversation about a mandate that disenfranchises people from their opportunity to pursue their goals and the American Dream. I am extremely troubled by the federal government’s actions trying to interfere with the personal healthcare decisions of our citizens and the clients that we serve. The federal government is threatening the livelihoods, the dignity, the self-respect, and the self-direction of our blind entrepreneurs. I thank Governor DeSantis for what he is doing, for standing up for the blind, and for standing up for all of the folks of Florida.” “I’m living with this looming date that could cause me to lose my job,” said TJ McCormick, who is visually impaired and is licensed by the Division of Blind Services as a vending and food service provider and operates in federal buildings in Tampa. “I’m a Randolph Sheppard vendor for the State of Florida. This program provides people with visual impairment a means to employment and to make money for their families. Over this last year, my customers and I have all grown so close, I think of them as my friends and family. They depend on me and I depend on them. I want to choose to work. For us to not have a choice [about getting vaccinated] is wrong.” “My husband has been a hardworking, faithful employee with his company for 10 years and has a master’s degree,” said Olivia Gregg. “He works tirelessly to be the sole income for our family, so I can care [for] and raise our kids. This mandate has created a lot of uncertainty for our family and our future. The possibility of my husband’s job being gone in roughly five weeks is terrifying. We are living in constant fear, questioning our family’s future every single day. It shouldn’t be between a vaccine or a livelihood.” “Governor DeSantis, I appreciate you standing up, not just for me, not even just for these people here, but we’re talking about every U.S. citizen, whether they were unvaccinated or vaccinated,” said John Freeland, a personal trainer and fitness coach from Palm Beach County. “Because the federal government, the current people in that position, are overstepping their bounds. They are choosing what they think we should all do without having our own personal choice. We are America. We are the land of the free and that capability of making our own choices is being stripped away.” “These mandates are putting a lot of flux in play,” said Hy Hetherington, CEO of HLP Integration, an information management firm. “This [mandate] is going to affect a large percentage of the people that we have here in Lakeland. To humanize what we’re talking about today, these people care about the mission. They are sitting with us and working with us because they care about serving their fellow veterans. Now we’re putting them in a position where we can’t tell them that you’re going to still have a job doing that incredibly important work. That’s a really scary place for them. It’s a really scary place for their families. As an employer who is incredibly passionate about our veterans, I’m equally as passionate about my employees and I have to ensure throughout this that I take care of both.” The video of the press conference is available here, courtesy of the Governor’s Press Office. ###
