TAMPA, Fla. — Florida’s Department of Health is meeting in Panama City Beach on Friday to discuss potential changes to the state’s vaccine requirements, a proposal that could significantly alter which immunizations children must receive before enrolling in public schools.
What You Need To Know
Florida’s Department of Health meeting in Panama City to discuss rollback of vaccine schedule for kids K-12
14 states currently allow for personal belief or philosophical exemptions to vaccine mandates
Vaccine rates have steadily dropped in Florida since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020
Currently, health experts say the vaccination rate among kindergartners in the state is 88%, well below the required 95% for herd immunity
State officials have not yet released a draft of the proposed changes, leaving many questions unanswered.
Possibilities range from eliminating vaccine mandates entirely to keeping the current requirements but adding a new philosophical exemption, which would allow parents to decline vaccinations based on personal beliefs.
Florida already permits medical and religious exemptions for school-required vaccines.
A philosophical exemption would make Florida one of the states with the broadest opt-out options in the country — a move critics argue is driven more by political momentum than medical evidence.
Dr. Jill Roberts, a professor at the University of South Florida’s College of Medicine, warns that loosening requirements could weaken herd immunity and lead to the return of diseases largely eliminated in the U.S.
“The whole point of herd immunity is that we create a wall of immunity around the kids who can’t get vaccinated,” Roberts said. “Every time we take away mandates or add exemptions, we lose that wall. We’re putting highly vulnerable people at risk for absolutely no reason.”
Currently, 14 states allow parents to opt out of vaccines for philosophical or personal belief reasons.
Florida’s path forward remains uncertain; some vaccine rules could be changed through executive action, while others — such as requirements for measles and polio — would need legislative approval.
Health experts say the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased vaccine hesitancy nationwide, including in Florida.
Today, about 88% of Florida kindergarteners are fully vaccinated, well below the 95% threshold typically needed for herd immunity. In some counties, vaccination rates have dropped below 80%, raising concerns about potential outbreaks.
State officials are expected to provide more details on the proposal following the meeting.
