Vaccine Mandate

Measles is the most deadly of all childhood rash illnesses, according to the Florida Department of Health. Two children and an adult died this year in a measles outbreak in Texas.

Measles is eliminated in the U.S., but cases are popping up nationwide. Health experts worry that if people skip the vaccine, there will be more outbreaks.

"Live & Local" explores Florida's plan to end vaccine mandates, a reform school graduation story, Gilbert King's latest book, and catch up on Tampa sports.

Health experts worry the policy change could lower vaccination rates and lead to a rise in preventable diseases — like polio, which most U.S. doctors have little experience spotting or treating.

On "Florida Matters: Live & Local," we’re talking about Florida’s government shutdown and unpaid workers, uncertainty over vaccine mandates, and the growing debate over books being pulled from schools.

As lawmakers prepare legislation to roll back mandates, the surgeon general has floated going one step further: banning mRNA vaccines. Medical experts say that would have public health implications.

Even as some policymakers challenge mandates, public opinion largely favors requirements for at least one vaccine to protect children and the broader community.

Speaking with a Houston physician, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo says he doesn't want mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in the state.

At a gathering organized by the UF chapter of the Students for a National Health Program, about 50 people demonstrated against making vaccines voluntary for schoolchildren.

The rule changes could take effect by early December, according to the state Department of Health.

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful and former GOP congressman David Jolly, at a packed town hall in Delray Beach, pitched his vision for "common-sense leadership" and slammed the end of school vaccine mandates, calling for major housing insurance reform, and distancing himself from Trump-era Republicanism.

The city's chief health officer and the president of the Duval County Medical Society have issued written rebukes of the state's plan to phase out the requirements.