- State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo will be retained in the same position for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ second term
- Though DeSantis spokesperson Bryan Griffin confirmed to The Capitolist last week that the Governor plans to ask top administration leaders across all state agencies within his control to resign from their positions, Ladapo was expected to remain
- Ladapo and DeSantis have worked in tandem to outline and craft various healthcare legislation regarding COVID-19 response and medical regulations
- Ladapo remains a contentious political figure for state Democrats
State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo will be retained for Gov. Ron DeSantis’s second term in office, according to a statement made by the Governor’s Twitter account on Monday.
Since his appointment late last year, Ladapo and DeSantis have worked in tandem to outline and craft various healthcare legislation regarding COVID-19 response and medical regulations, including the 15-week abortion restriction passed during the last legislative session.
While Ladapo was expected to remain in his position through the transition to DeSantis’ second term, spokesperson Bryan Griffin confirmed to The Capitolist last week that the Governor plans to ask top administration leaders across all state agencies within his control to resign from their positions. While most resigned leaders would be asked to return, others would be forced out.
“Dr. Ladapo has done a great job as [Surgeon General]. His evidence-based principles serve as a counterweight to the increasingly political positions of the entrenched medical establishment, especially on schools, masks, and mRNA shots,” said DeSantis. “Happy to announce he’ll return for our 2nd term!”
Prior to his standing as the state Surgeon General, Ladapo served as an associate professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) caring for hospitalized patients.
According to his bio, Ladapo’s research program focused on patient-centered approaches to help individuals combat coronary artery diseases and behavioral economics interventions to promote sustainable cardiovascular health.
Ladapo also holds an MD from Harvard Medical School and a Ph.D. in Health Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
The Surgeon General has proven to be a contentious figure among state lawmakers, largely due to his resistance to recommend the administering of COVID-19 vaccines.
“The Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children,” said Ladapo in March, leading former state Senator Annette Taddeo to admonish the recommendation as “incredibly reckless and irresponsible,” claiming that the state needs to implement “a Surgeon General that takes cues from Science and not Ron DeSantis.”
During the Senate Committee on Health Policy hearing in January to vote to appoint Ladapo, all four Democrat members — Sen. Lauren Book, Sen. Shevrin Jones, Sen. Janet Cruz, and Sen. Bobby Powell — staged a walkout and abstained from voting in protest of his stances.