TAMPA, Fla — A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health says a recent internship posting by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers violates state law.
In a tweet, Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern told a Bucs production manager that this description for a video production intern runs afoul legislation passed last year. Fellow Spokesperson Christina Pushaw, who is the press secretary for Gov. Ron DeSantis, also chimed in on Twitter – suggesting the Bucs had been "Caught in 4K."
"Under Florida law, enacted in 2021, private employer covid vaccine mandates are prohibited," Pushaw added in an email to 10 Tampa Bay. "The Buccaneers must allow the exemptions required by state law."
Those exemptions include pregnancies, health concerns or religious beliefs – among other factors. The law allows employees to choose to undergo periodic coronavirus testing or wear PPE instead of getting vaccinated.
The Buccaneers internship posting did not specifically mention exemptions.
"All new hires are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide verification of vaccination prior to the commencement of employment," the internship description said. "Fully vaccinated means at least two (2) weeks after the final dose of the J&J, Moderna, or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine."
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is responsible for investigating and acting on any complaints about possible violations of the law preventing private employer vaccine mandates. 10 Tampa Bay inquired late Thursday afternoon whether Moody's team was looking into the Bucs' policy and will update this story if the AG's office responds.
In general, if a violation is found to have occurred, businesses with fewer than 100 employees can be fined $10,000 per employee violation, while larger businesses can face $50,000 fines.
The same Florida law blocks local governments and schools from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations.
"Nobody should lose their job due to heavy-handed COVID mandates and we had a responsibility to protect the livelihoods of the people of Florida," DeSantis said in November 2021.
10 Tampa Bay contacted the Buccaneers before 11 a.m. Thursday for comment on the situation. As of 4:30 p.m., we had not received a response. We will update this story if we hear back.
