Ron DeSantis: ‘I Will Not Let the Heavy Hand of Government Force Floridians to Take a Shot’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over the weekend made it crystal clear that he will do everything in his power to stop the federal government from forcing Floridians to choose between getting a coronavirus vaccine and losing their jobs, vowing to “not let the heavy hand of government force Floridians to take a shot.”

“I will not let the heavy hand of government force Floridians to take a shot. That violates their constitutional rights, infringes on their medical freedom, and threatens their livelihoods,” DeSantis said on social media Sunday, reiterating their plan to hold a special session to “fight for Floridians’ freedom” and using the increasingly popular hashtag, #DontTreadOnFlorida:

The vow follows DeSantis’s decision last week to call the legislature back for a special session to create protections for Floridians who risk losing their jobs over these mandates.

He said at the time:

So what we’re going to be doing in addition to mounting aggressive legal challenge to federal mandates, we’re also going to be taking legislative action to add protection to the people of the state of Florida, and that’s something that cannot wait until the regular legislative session next year.

DeSantis also shared a clip from his discussion with Fox News’s Tucker Carlson, emphasizing three key points:

1. Your livelihood should not be dependent upon whether you get a COVID shot. This is a personal decision.
2. The Biden Vaccine Mandate is unconstitutional, and we have a responsibility to fight back as a state.
3. Vaccine mandates are bad for the economy.

DeSantis also appeared on Sunday Morning Futures, where he reiterated that Biden’s mandates are “unconstitutional.”