Summer may be nearing its close, but you can count on Florida to continue delivering scorching hot takes.

State leaders touched off a national firestorm this week by announcing plans to end all vaccine mandates , including long-standing requirements for schoolchildren.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo framed the move as a victory for “medical freedom,” with Ladapo even comparing mandates to slavery . The proposal would roll back rules that for decades have required shots against measles, polio, chickenpox and other preventable diseases before students can attend public school.

Public health experts quickly blasted the plan. Pediatricians, the American Medical Association, and infectious disease specialists warned that ending mandates could reverse

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