Florida will issue $5,000 fines to businesses, institutions, and government agencies that require customers or visitors to provide proof of vaccination, upon the implementation of Senate Bill 2006.
In March, the legislation, sponsored by Republican Senator Danny Burgess, was filed and introduced to the Senate where it later passed in the House with a 76-40 vote. SB 2006 amends Florida’s Emergency Management Act to place limits on local emergency powers and adds fines of up to $5,000 for violating the state’s ban on requiring vaccination documentation. It does not apply to businesses that require their staff to be vaccinated. The state will begin to implement fines on September 16th.
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ spokesman said, “Promises made, promises kept,” as DeSantis vowed to ban vaccine mandates in March. The governor has received backlash from physicians and the president for his COVID-19 policies, including SB 2006 and banning mask mandates.
In August, DeSantis was accused of mishandling his state after a spike in cases due to the delta variant. However, Florida has paved the way for other states to ban vaccine mandates and lessen COVID-19 restrictions. Regarding SB 2006, DeSantis said, “We have laws that protect the people and the privacy of our citizens, and we are going to enforce it. In fact, I have no choice but to enforce it.”
