TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With the flick of Gov. Ron DeSantis' pen, Florida has a new law in place to combat COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
HB 1B, which dictates how employers and state agencies can handle coronavirus vaccine mandates, was approved by both the state House and Senate during a special legislative session Wednesday.
Under the law, local governments and schools, as well businesses, would be barred from enforcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Employers could, however, work around the ban if they allow employees to apply for medical or religious exemptions.
The other opt-out option private businesses have at their disposal to circumnavigate the ban would be if an employee had a previous COVID-19 infection or if they agreed to regular testing and wearing protective equipment.
The Florida Department of Health would be tasked with creating an exemption form that employees would have to fill out.
If companies with more than 100 employees impose a mandate without the correct exemptions, they can face fines up to $5,000. Businesses with less than 100 employees can face $10,000 fines.
Democratic senators raised concerns about how those fines can have a worse impact on small businesses. They argued the bill would be doing more harm than good. Democrats also questioned why $5 million was being allocated for the bill.
The new law will remain in place until June 2023.
