![Florida Anti-Vaccine Mandate Effort Suffers Blow As Judge Refuses To Block Biden Healthcare Policy](https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/fit-in/1200x0/filters%3Aformat%28jpg%29/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F619bf7d052d3a9c57d0dee88%2F0x0.jpg%3FcropX1%3D0%26cropX2%3D2362%26cropY1%3D0%26cropY2%3D1328)
The first major blow to the state's efforts to oppose the federal government's vaccine requirements was dealt over the weekend by a federal judge.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters and members of the media.
The Associated Press.
The federal vaccine rule is set to go into effect on December 6 and the state of Florida is in a lawsuit.
The vaccine policy requires vaccinations for all healthcare workers in facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Rogers, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, said Saturday that the Florida lawsuit did not show that the requirement would hurt the state and its workers.
The judge said there was no evidence to suggest the federal government would immediately remove funding from the state if it did not comply with the mandate.
Rogers disagreed with Florida's claim that the vaccine mandate would violate the state's sovereignty by clashing with state policy.
Pushaw told Forbes in an email that the Biden administration's vaccine mandate is "outrageous" and that the governor's office is "working closely with the Attorney General's office and exploring all our options."
If widespread resignations were to occur, Florida included affidavits from agency heads who said that they may lose a certain percentage or a number of employees. The opinions are speculative and may be ignored as conclusory.
The key background.
Florida is one of the states that oppose the vaccine requirements for workers. The state has filed a lawsuit against a mandate for federal contractors and has threatened to file a lawsuit against the federal government for its vaccine-or-test requirement for large employers, though that rule is currently blocked as litigation against it moves forward. A policy that requires all employers to carve out exemptions to vaccine policies like prior Covid-19 infections and willingness to use personal protective equipment was one of the bills signed into law last week. The law directs the governor to come up with a plan to pull Florida out of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is the agency that mandates the vaccine-or-test mandate for large employers.
Surprising fact.
The bills were signed into law in Brandon, Florida, by a Republican who was seen as a potential presidential candidate in the future.
What to watch for.
The healthcare worker mandate, which was filed by coalitions of more than 20 states, remains pending and could still result in the vaccine requirement being struck down.
There is a structure called the Tangent.
Florida has a new law that restricts vaccine mandates. Disney World, which is located in Florida and is the largest single-site employer in the country, paused its vaccine mandate for employees over the weekend in response to the new state policy.
Florida Gov. DeSantis signs sweeping legislation that restricts vaccine mandates, school mask rules and more.
Republican-led states are trying to block Biden's vaccine mandates.
The vaccine mandate for federal contractors is being sued by Florida.
The 2nd group of states challenge the vaccine mandate.
Coverage and live updates on the coronaviruses.