PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — On Monday, a discussion took place among leaders in government, health, and education in Florida regarding the state’s plan to eliminate certain vaccine requirements.
WATCH BELOW: 'This is a health issue,' Congresswoman Lois Frankel says
This initiative, championed by Florida's Surgeon General, aims to provide families with the autonomy to decide whether or not to vaccinate their children.
Congresswoman Lois Frankel, who hosted a roundtable with local leaders, emphasized the health implications of this policy shift.
"This is a health issue regardless of what party you're on," she stated. "This is going to be a dangerous situation, and everybody needs to push back."
The roundtable featured voices from various sectors, all expressing concern about the potential consequences of removing vaccine mandates.
Dr. Hili Beckerman, a pediatrician from Delray Beach, voiced her fears for Florida's healthcare system.
"Our hospitals are full as is, and the medical health system of Florida is completely unprepared to deal with a pandemic of children, adults immunocompromised with these diseases," she said.
Beckerman advocates for retaining vaccine mandates, recalling the outbreaks of mumps and measles that preceded the current mandate system.
"So, I'm not sure why we're not working with a system that has worked amazingly for the last hundred years in the U.S. and for the public school system," she remarked. "These are diseases we don't want to be seeing; we don't need to be seeing."
Pediatrician Dr. Tommy Schechtman echoed these sentiments, expressing concern that many physicians today lack experience with these preventable diseases.
"Yes, I have experience, because I'm probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest on this panel," he said. "But most physicians today have not seen these diseases, so we're not prepared already for this outbreak."
Chairman Postel, a member of the Florida Parent Teacher Association Board of Directors and Palm Beach County advocacy chair, added her perspective. While she said the PTA has historically supported parental choice regarding vaccinations, she opposes what she calls a suppression of sound medical advice.
"Every child deserves a school system, or an environment, where they can be safe, and they can thrive in that safe environment," Postel declared. "That's our goal at PTA; it's simple, so we say no."
WPTV reached out to the Florida Department of Health, which confirmed that vaccines for hepatitis B, chicken pox, hib influenza, and diseases like meningitis are among those slated for removal from the mandate. However, it is important to note that vaccines for measles, polio, tetanus, and others will still be required under Florida law.
Representative Kelly Skidmore responded to a question by WPTV on the financial implications of the proposed changes, particularly regarding a state program that provides free vaccinations to underserved families.
"There are about 800,000 children in the state of Florida who are uninsured; those folks who don't have insurance or don't have that coverage will likely go away," Skidmore pointed.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Leslie Diaz from Found Care expressed her alarm over the potential ripple effects of eliminating some vaccine mandates.
She highlighted how illness can spread within communities.
"My thing is not political; my thing is science. You got to follow the science. We don't know what's going to happen, but I can tell you based on the theories of infectious disease and the history of infectious disease, nothing good is going to come out of these removal of mandates," Diaz explained. "People are going to get sick."
Families in Florida are also weighing in on the issue. Many express a nuanced stance on vaccines. Dan Morris, a father of three, is not entirely against vaccines but believes some mandates need reassessment.
"I'd remove it (the vaccine mandate), wouldn't remove all of them; I would rework it. I just think we have too many of them,” he commented.
In contrast, parents like Angelica Rendon advocate for parental choice when it comes to vaccinations for their children.
"Side effects, those are my concerns; that's what I said we need to read and try to become familiar with the vaccines,” Rendon said.
Adding to the conversation, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference Monday where he reiterated his long-standing stance against vaccine mandates.
He stated that he views the move to make vaccinations optional as an opportunity to educate families interested in vaccination, without "ostracizing people from society" who may not believe in vaccinations.
