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SURFSIDE, FLORIDA - AUGUST 10: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waits to present a check to a first responder during an event to give out bonuses to them held at the Grand Beach Hotel Surfside on August 10, 2021 in Surfside, Florida. DeSantis gave out some of the $1,000 checks that the Florida state budget passed for both first responders and teachers across the state.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced that he would issue steep fines on local city officials who implement United States President Joe Biden's vaccine mandates which allows city leaders to fire employees who do not get the coronavirus vaccines.
The Florida lawmaker also expressed his support of a lawsuit that aims to prevent the city of Gainesville from implementing the vaccine mandate. "We are here today to make it very clear that we are going to stand for the men and women who are serving us. We are going to protect Florida jobs. We are not going to let people be fired because of a vaccine mandate," DeSantis said during a press conference in Gainesville.
Fine Against Vaccine Mandate
DeSantis revealed that Florida filed a legal brief supporting the 200 first responders who filed a lawsuit against the city of Gainesville. The legal action criticized the city's implementation of Biden's vaccine mandate. City officials gave employees until Sept. 30 to get one of the coronavirus vaccines or risk being fired from their jobs, Yahoo News reported.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody also expressed her support of the 200 employees, saying the personnel has risked their lives during the coronavirus pandemic. The official said city workers were brave for filing a lawsuit against their city and argued they will not be fired for their own personnel medical decisions.
DeSantis' fine against county and city governments that choose to implement the vaccine mandate will cost about $5,000 for each violation. The Florida lawmaker said the government should not just cast aside employees who have been faithfully serving their city.
The fine is the latest in resistance by Republican officials who oppose Biden's latest efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, the Democrat told the Labor Department to require all businesses with at least 100 employees to get their staff vaccinated to ensure their safety amid the health crisis, CNN reported.
Criticism of Biden's Decisions
The federal government could impose thousands of dollars in fines against companies for every employee that refuses to get inoculated. Biden also signed an executive order that required all government workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus without giving them the option to opt-out by getting regular testing.
In a statement, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy noted that the vaccine requirements will benefit businesses that want their workers to continue working from home. He said that the implementation will also benefit employees, arguing that it will improve public health and reassure residents of the safety of their situations.
DeSantis also criticized Biden's mandate, arguing that the Democrat's orders were "not following science" regarding the natural immunity that people gained from being infected by the virus. The Florida lawmaker credited studies that showed natural immunity offered good protection against the infection. DeSantis used the supposed evidence as support for his opposition to the vaccine mandates.
The Republican official said that Biden's administration could have acknowledged natural immunity if they were really following science. He argued, however, that since they chose to ignore it, the mandate was all about government control, Fox News reported.
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