Florida County Fined $3.57 Million For Mandating Vaccines

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) — The Florida Department of Health is imposing a $3.57 cardinal good connected Leon County due to the fact that of the region government’s request that employees beryllium vaccinated against COVID-19.

The section sent a announcement Tuesday to Leon County Administrator Vince Long that gave the region 30 days to wage the fine. The announcement pointed to a authorities prohibition connected requiring documentation of vaccination — an contented that has go known arsenic requiring “vaccine passports.”

READ MORE: Wyoming Coroner: Gabby Petito Was Strangled To Death

“This good has been assessed for 714 instances of violating Florida’s prohibition connected vaccine passports. Leon County authorities (ultimately) fired 14 employees,” a connection from the wellness section said.

Long responded by saying the region volition question ineligible recourse.

“By mode of media reports, Leon County was made alert of a announcement from the Florida Department of Health regarding the county’s vaccination requirement. There is simply a genuine disagreement astir the applicability of the (state vaccine passport) statute and rule, and the region volition enforce its rights utilizing immoderate remedies disposable astatine law, if necessary,” Long said successful a statement.

Leon County’s hefty punishment is the latest effort by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ medication to prohibit vaccine requirements connected employees.

The wellness section said the vaccine-passport law, signed by DeSantis successful May, “specifically bans governmental entities successful Florida from requiring immoderate person, including an employee, to supply impervious of vaccination oregon post-infection betterment to summation entree to, introduction upon, oregon work from their operations.”

The instrumentality allows for a $5,000 good to beryllium imposed for each violation. The Department of Health announcement said Leon County required 714 employees oregon erstwhile employees to supply documentation that they had been vaccinated.

“It is unacceptable that Leon County violated Florida law, infringed connected existent and erstwhile employees’ aesculapian privacy, and fired loyal nationalist servants due to the fact that of their idiosyncratic wellness decisions. Governor DeSantis volition proceed warring for Floridians’ rights and the Florida Department of Health volition proceed to enforce the law,” DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said successful a connection Tuesday.

Long advised employees connected July 28 that they would beryllium fixed until Oct. 1 to supply impervious of being afloat vaccinated, oregon hazard facing termination.

“This is precise elemental and precise serious. As an employer, we are required to supply a harmless enactment situation for employees, and unvaccinated employees airs a important hazard to dispersed the virus,” Long said successful a memo announcing the requirement.

Long thanked the immense bulk of the county’s employees for complying with the mandate successful an Oct. 2 statement.

READ MORE: Florida COVID-19 Hospitalizations Dip Below 4,000

“Following extended worker outreach and a federally required process for aesculapian and spiritual accommodations, much than 98% of each region employees received a vaccination oregon accommodation and little than 2% chose not to taxable impervious of vaccination,” Long wrote. “Specifically, 700 region employees chose to beryllium vaccinated, 30 employees received an accommodation, and 14 did not taxable impervious of vaccination and were terminated astatine the extremity of time connected Friday, October 1.”

DeSantis touted the punishment successful a tweet Tuesday.

“We indispensable support the jobs of Floridians and sphere the quality of Floridians to marque their ain decisions regarding what shots to take,” the politician wrote.

The good drew disapproval from authorities Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat who is moving for politician successful 2022 and often locks horns with DeSantis connected COVID-19 issues. She alluded to fiscal penalties the authorities has pursued against schoolhouse districts that necessitate students to deterioration masks.

“Not contented with defunding schools, @GovRonDeSantis is present trying to defund region governments for protecting their employees from COVID-19. Wannabe dictator,” Fried wrote successful a tweet Tuesday.

Some different section governments person mandated COVID-19 vaccines for employees.

For example, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced successful July that region employees would beryllium required to beryllium vaccinated against COVID-19.

The wellness section Tuesday day didn’t instantly reply an email from The News Service of Florida astir whether Orange County would look a fine.

However, the authorities wellness bureau said successful its connection that different section governments had “reversed course” connected vaccination requirements.

“Last week, aft alerting the metropolis of Gainesville of their imaginable usurpation of the vaccination passport prohibition successful Florida, the Florida Department of Health received a effect indicating the metropolis of Gainesville rescinded its worker vaccine mandate,” the connection said.

MORE NEWS: No Parking, Stopping On Shoulder Of Julia Tuttle Causeway During Construction Or Be Towed

(©2021 CBS Local Media. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten, oregon redistributed. The News Service of Florida’s Ryan Dailey contributed to this report.)