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Florida attorney general threatens to sue Biden administration over vaccine mandate

By NSF staff
Published  September 16, 2021 6:20pm EDT
Coronavirus in Florida
The News Service of Florida

DeSantis vows to fight vaccine mandates

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that Florida will fight local and federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates for public and private workers, warning that such requirements will have a "huge impact" on public safety.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody joined 23 other Republican attorneys general Thursday in threatening a legal challenge to a decision by President Joe Biden that would require many private-sector workers to get vaccinated or undergo weekly testing for COVID-19.

In a letter to Biden, the GOP attorneys general called the president’s plan "disastrous and counterproductive" and disputed that it can be enforced through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

RELATED: Biden announces vaccine mandate for employers with more than 100 workers

"We thus urge you to reconsider your unlawful and harmful plan and allow people to make their own decisions," the letter said. "If your administration does not alter its course, the undersigned state attorneys general will seek every available legal option to hold you accountable and uphold the rule of law." 

The plan, announced last week, would require employers with 100 or more workers to ensure that employees are fully vaccinated or produce negative test results each week. 

RELATED: Mixed reactions around Bay Area to President Biden’s vaccine mandates

The White House said the requirement would affect more than 80 million workers. 

"The president’s plan will reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans by using regulatory powers and other actions to substantially increase the number of Americans covered by vaccination requirements --- these requirements will become dominant in the workplace," a White House summary said.