With special session set, Simpson, Sprowls vow to protect Floridians from unconstitutional mandates

GOP leaders in the Florida House and Senate say they will step up this special session to safeguard Floridians from unconstitutional COVID-19 mandates imposed by President Joe Biden.

Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson issued a joint statement on Friday, promising to protect Floridians from vaccine mandates during the upcoming special session which is set to begin on November 15 and run through November 19.

 “Over the last two years, Floridians have watched the freedoms of our friends and relatives in other states get stripped away one at a time. We will not stand by as the Biden Administration imposes an illegal and unconstitutional nationwide vaccine mandate that robs the American people of the dignity of work,” the duo said in a joint proclamation. “Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, Florida has been a beacon of hope, and we intend to keep it that way. We look forward to working with Governor DeSantis and our colleagues to craft, debate and pass thoughtful legislation that keeps Florida open for business and prioritizes people, parents and businesses over government.

“During the special session, we will do everything within our power as a state to protect Floridians from the unconstitutional, un-American, and morally reprehensible overreaches on the part of the federal government,” they continued.

The joint statement comes as the clash over far-reaching mandates between Governor Ron DeSantis and the Biden administration reaches a fever pitch. Last Thursday, DeSantis summoned lawmakers back to Tallahassee for a Special Legislative Session to consider a number of proposals designed to protect the rights of individual workers against vaccine mandates. The Governor, an ardent opponent of government overreach related to the pandemic, followed up his special session announcement yesterday when he and Attorney General Ashley Moody announced that Florida was filing a lawsuit against the Biden administration’s unconstitutional vaccine mandates, making Florida the first state to bring a comprehensive legal action against the federal contractor vaccine mandate.

“Your right to earn a living should not be contingent upon COVID shots,” DeSantis said. “We have somehow gone from 15 days to slow the spread to 3 jabs to keep your job. In Florida, we believe that the decision whether or not to get a COVID shot is a choice based on individual circumstances, so we are litigating against the Biden Administration and will be passing legislation in this Special Session to protect Florida jobs and protect parents’ rights when it comes to masking and quarantines. The health, education, and wellbeing of our children are primarily the responsibility of parents. As long as I am Governor, parents in Florida will play a strong role in determining what their kids are learning and how they’re treated in school.”