DeSantis continues bucking mask mandates; Castor urges vaccination for eligible kids
Gov. DeSantis continues to threaten action against schools that go against 'parents' rights' when it comes to masks.
Florida education commissioner ramps up DeSantis' threat to school officials over mask mandates
Two Florida counties have decided to require parents to submit doctors' notes if they want their children to be exempt from wearing masks. Now state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran says he will enforce Gov. DeSantis' threat to withhold the salaries of school officials in Alachua and Leon counties.
Superintendent of school district in Florida's capital goes against DeSantis, requires masks
The Leon County superintendent said Monday that he will require students to wear masks amid an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations fueled by the delta variant.
DeSantis objects to vaccine mandates at hospitals
Governor DeSantis says he doesn’t support hospitals requiring their staff members to get vaccinated.
Monoclonal antibody treatments work against delta variant when taken in first week of symptoms: doctors
Monoclonal antibody treatments are available for Floridians who get COVID-19 and doctors say the treatment is effective against all the variants.
Florida students who oppose masks could get private school vouchers
Florida students could soon use state-backed vouchers to transfer to private schools if they object to wearing masks in classrooms, as Gov. Ron DeSantis and state education officials argue that decisions about masks should be left up to parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Florida Education Association backs school districts on mask requirements
The Florida Education Association teachers union is backing school districts trying to work around Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order that bars schools from requiring students to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
'I am standing in your way': DeSantis fires back after Biden criticizes Florida governor's pandemic response
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fired back at President Joe Biden, one day after the president criticized the Republican governor for his handling of the pandemic as the Sunshine State sees a record spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Biden criticizes DeSantis, other Republican governors who block mask mandates
President Biden sharply criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and others who have moved to block the reimposition of mask mandates to slow the delta strain of COVID-19: “If you’re not going to help, at least get out of the way of people trying to do the right thing."
'We are not shutting down': DeSantis insists spike will be short-lived as Florida breaks COVID-19 records
Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to back down from his stance against mask mandates as Florida broke its record again for COVID-19 hospitalizations, insisting that the spike is seasonal. But he did encourage Floridians to get vaccinated, saying that while a vaccinated person can still test positive, it would keep them from getting seriously ill.
Florida's COVID-19 hospitalizations reach all-time high of 11,515 patients
As Florida reached another record-breaking number of COVID-19 patients in one day, Governor Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that hospital admissions are slowing down.
Two Florida school districts drop mask mandates after DeSantis threatened to withhold funding
Two school districts that had mandated masks for students because of COVID-19 are reversing course after Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Friday barring such mandates.
Fried: Florida Department of Health withholding weekend COVID-19 numbers
After announcing last week she would release daily reports on new COVID-19 cases in Florida, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried says the Florida Department of Health was withholding data from the weekend as cases reached new record highs last week.
DeSantis threatens to withhold funding from school districts who mandate masks
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that blocks school boards from requiring students to wear face coverings, and withholds funds from "noncompliant" school districts that decide to impose mask mandates.
DeSantis signs executive order making masks optional in schools to 'protect rights of parents'
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Friday barring local school districts from forcing students to wear masks when classes resume next month even as the state's coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to skyrocket toward levels not seen since before vaccines became widely available.
Florida Department of Health moves forward on fines for vaccine passport ban violations
The Florida Department of Health published a proposed rule that would carry out a new law allowing the state to levy $5,000 fines against businesses, government agencies and educational institutions that violate a ban on so-called COVID-19 “vaccine passports.”
Florida Ag. Commissioner Nikki Fried to release daily COVID reports while state maintains weekly updates
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried says she plans to have her department release daily COVID-19 reports because the state's Department of Health, under Gov. Ron DeSantis, has switched to providing such information once a week.
DeSantis mocks CDC's new mask guidance despite surging COVID-19 cases in Florida
"Did you not get the CDC's memo?" Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joked before an almost entirely unmasked audience as he gave a speech in Utah. "I don't see you guys complying."
Florida legislature would have to approve $100 vaccine incentive, DeSantis says
President Joe Biden called on state and local governments to draw from COVID-19 relief funds to give $100 to newly vaccinated people, but in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis says he does not have the power to approve such an incentive.
DeSantis joins other Republican governors in asking Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed Florida onto a brief, joining ten other Republican governors in asking the US. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, its 1973 landmark ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.