Florida is moving to roll back long-standing vaccine requirements for schoolchildren — a push driven in large part by the state’s top health official, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, whose views on vaccination and public health have drawn widespread criticism from medical experts.

The proposed changes would eliminate or weaken mandates for vaccines protecting against illnesses such as hepatitis B and chickenpox. Supporters frame the move as an expansion of parental choice, but pediatricians and epidemiologists warn it could increase the risk of preventable disease outbreaks.

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Ladapo, appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis, has repeatedly questioned established medical consensus on vaccines an

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