Florida County Fined For Defying DeSantis – They Tried To Enforce Mandate, So The Governor Is Charging Them $3.5M
When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks, he expects people to listen. And when he delivers an order to the state, he expects everyone to follow that order.
This includes controversial bans on mandatory vaccinations, which is a debate that rages in multiple states across the country. Freedom from mask mandates is another aspect of the argument.
But in Florida, if you decide to defy the governor’s order, you will be punished.
Gov. DeSantis made that plain this week, when a Florida county decided to ignore their state leader. He specifically said he would not allow companies to force their employees to get vaccinated.
And yet, that’s precisely what Leon County did.
They fired 14 employees for refusing to get the COVID vaccine: Leon County administrator Vincent Long said it was “completely legally justifiable” and also “necessary and responsible.”
DeSantis vehemently disagrees, however.
The Governor took to Twitter to announce Leon County’s punishment, and it isn’t just a slap on the wrist. The County is going to have to shell out some serious change now.
From Washington Examiner:
The Florida Health Department fined Leon County on Tuesday for violating the state’s ban on vaccine mandates after the county fired 14 employees for not complying with its policy, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Tuesday.
No one should lose their job because of COVID shots.@HealthyFla fined Leon County more than $3.5 million for violating Florida law after the county fired 14 employees for not complying with the county’s forced vaccination policy.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 12, 2021
DeSantis has often said he wants to protect people from “unconstitutional” health mandates. And in this case, he’s making one county pay for defying the statewide rule.
And the Governor isn’t stopping there.
His office is also supporting a lawsuit against the city of Gainesville for trying to impose a similar mandate. The bottom line is, no such mandates will exist if DeSantis has anything to say about it.
He isn’t the only state leader to take this firm stance, either.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott just banned forced vaccinations across his state, saying that citizens can “opt out of being forced to take a vaccine for reasons of conscience or medical reasons.”
Of course, this goes against President Joe Biden’s controversial order that all companies with over 100 employees must make everyone get a shot.
But for DeSantis, Abbott, and millions of Americans, this is a serious freedom issue — it’s about defending the rights of a free citizenship, and not bowing to authoritative power from the government.
Many argue that if the state can make the vaccine mandatory, they can also make any health procedure mandatory.
And at that point, they’ve officially taken control of your health, which in turn infringes directly on the Constitution. This is the argument many are using right now, and it should be considered.
Source: Washington Examiner