Lead: Florida announced a plan to make several school vaccine requirements voluntary after a rule change filed Sept. 3, 2025, but the change is not expected to take effect for about 90 days and will initially remove mandates only for chickenpox, hepatitis B, Hib and certain pneumococcal vaccines.
Key Takeaways
- The Florida Department of Health initiated a rule change on Sept. 3, 2025; implementation is projected in roughly 90 days.
- Mandates for hepatitis B, chickenpox, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcal vaccines would be lifted for school entry.
- Requirements for measles, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, mumps and tetanus remain unless the legislature acts.
- Florida already permits a religious exemption for school vaccine rules.
- Health officials and pediatricians warn removing mandates could increase risk amid rising measles and whooping cough cases nationally.
- Lawmakers do not reconvene until January 2026; committees begin meeting in October.
Verified Facts
The Florida Department of Health told reporters it filed the rule change on September 3, 2025, and anticipates it will not be effective for approximately 90 days. Florida’s public school year had already begun in August, meaning the rule will not affect the current start of classes.
Under the proposal, vaccine requirements to attend school that would be rescinded include hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), Hib and pneumococcal vaccines — illnesses that can cause serious complications but are not being removed from the record of recommended immunizations. The department said all other statutory school-entry vaccinations remain in place unless overturned by new legislation.
Florida’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has publicly advocated that parents should decide which vaccines their children receive. On CNN he summarized his position as supporting parental choice in vaccinations.
Public-health groups have flagged the timing as concerning: 2025 is the worst U.S. year for measles in more than three decades with more than 1,400 confirmed cases nationwide and three deaths, the vast majority of cases reported in Texas. Whooping cough (pertussis) activity has also risen: preliminary Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show over 19,000 cases as of Aug. 23, 2025 — about 2,000 more than the same point last year — and recent deaths linked to outbreaks have been reported in Louisiana and Washington state.
Context & Impact
Vaccine mandates for school attendance have been a longstanding public health tool in the U.S., intended to maintain high community immunity levels and protect children who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. Public-health experts say removing requirements tends to increase exemption rates and can lower vaccination coverage over time.
Florida’s change would be narrower than some initial statements suggested: it does not automatically remove rules for measles or polio, two diseases that historically prompted strict school-entry requirements because of their high contagion and severity. Any expansion to include additional vaccines would require action by the state legislature.
Potential local effects include increased administrative burden for school districts tracking exemptions and potential upticks in preventable disease transmission at schools and childcare settings. Health officials also warn that outbreaks can strain hospital and public-health resources.
- Diseases losing mandates (per state notice): hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib, pneumococcal
- Diseases remaining required by current law: measles, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, mumps, tetanus
Official Statements
“If you want them, God bless, you can have as many as you want. And if you don’t want them, parents should have the ability and the power to decide what goes into their children’s bodies.”
Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida Surgeon General (on CNN)
Unconfirmed
- Whether the state will pursue additional vaccine removals beyond those listed remains uncertain and would depend on legislative or further administrative action.
- The precise effective date within the roughly 90-day window is not finalized and could shift if legal challenges or administrative delays occur.
Bottom Line
Florida has moved to eliminate school-entry mandates for a small set of childhood vaccines, with the rule change filed Sept. 3, 2025, and expected to take effect in about 90 days. Major school-entry requirements for measles and polio remain in statute for now, but public-health officials caution the decision could raise risks amid elevated national measles and pertussis activity.