Florida to fine companies that require their customers to be vaccinated against COVID-19

The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, leads a crusade against the so-called health passport or proof of vaccination. In the state of Florida, by order of the governor, neither local governments nor private companies can require the public or customers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to allow them access or services.

At the start of the year, after nearly ten months of pandemic, the state legislature passed SB 2006 which prohibits governments, businesses, and schools from requiring proof of vaccination. Last May, Governor DeSantis signed the law that It will come into effect on September 16.

Based on this law, the Florida Department of Health will be able to impose fines on those who request proof of vaccination. From this department it has already been confirmed that fines will be $ 5,000 (the maximum allowed by law), for each individual and each violation of the law found. In other words, if a business indicates that in order to enter their premises a customer must demonstrate that they are vaccinated, then they will be billed $ 5,000 per customer, not $ 5,000 in total.

Those who receive these fines will have the opportunity to go to court and appeal, in a system identical to that of traffic offenses. If the judge confirms the fine, the offender will have 30 days to pay it.

The law leaves open the possibility that companies will require them to be vaccinated, and prove it, to their employees. The governor also disagrees with this, saying the measures go against the individual liberties. On the other side of the litigation, they allege that private firms and corporations have the right to decide how to run their affairs, under the concept of market freedom.

The case of schools is even more complicated. Vaccines are available for ages 12 and up, however between 12 and 15 years, less than half of the population has been vaccinated. In Florida, Schools cannot require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19, although for decades Florida public schools have required a full immunization schedule to allow a child to access classes.

Currently, Florida is the 19th state in the country in the vaccination rankings. According to the state government itself, 68% of the population eligible to receive the vaccine to date has at least one dose in. It is clear that for months there have been no major restrictions on inoculation in Florida, so those who were not vaccinated did not do so by personal decision.

The most resounding case in this litigation is that of the cruise lines. The company Norwegian Cruise Lines sued Florida for not allowing them to request proof of vaccination from their passengers and won at trial. DeSantis appealed the decision but, for now, cruise ships can request proof of vaccination from those boarding one of their ships from a port in Florida -which in turn is the main center of operations of this industry-.

The concert organizing company, Live the nation, for the moment maintains its policy of asking for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test from those who come to one of its events. If the Department of Health starts imposing these fines, a company like Living country that each event has about five thousand people, risk paying millions of dollars in penalty.

At the moment, everything seems to indicate that from the 16th the fines will start arriving, although like everything in times of COVID, they can reach change from minute to minute.

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