On Thursday, Orlando will be the center for discussion on the state’s proposed plan to remove requirements of four vaccines needed at schools and daycares.
The meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary. The Florida Department of Health will take public comment. The FDOH expects to draw a lot of attention from people on both sides of the argument over childhood vaccines.
“Those vaccines all protect children against diseases that can significantly make them ill or even die. And we really want to protect all of our children and families from these diseases,” said Dr. Jennifer Takagishi, the president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The FCAAP released a statement on the FDOH’s proposed rule change and said maintaining the vaccine requirements is a “moral imperative.”
“You can protect people against diseases that killed before, so it seems reprehensible to not do that,” Takagishi said. She and other members of the FCAAP will be at the meeting.
The proposal is a revision of Rule 64D-3.046, related to immunization requirements for school entry. If finalized, it would remove requirements for chickenpox, hepatitis B, pneumococcal conjugate, and haemophilus influezae type b (Hib).
The state does allow religious exemptions. The state had sought to broaden the exemption to any moral or ethical belief, but dropped the attempt prior to Thursday’s meeting.
Vaccine rates among kindergarteners have fallen well below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 95% threshold recommendation. Florida’s kindergarteners were at 91% fully vaccinated for the 2025-2026 school year, according to the FDOH’s data.
The number is 89% in Orange County.
Florida has a growing movement of those seeking “medical freedom,” which leans away from many traditional health requirements, such as mandatory immunizations.
Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo has referred to such requirements as “slavery.”
"Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery," Ladapo said during a 2025 press conference. “Pretty much every state has (vaccine requirements). And it’s wrong. It’s immoral. They do not have the right to tell you what you can put into your body. They do not have the right to tell you what your kids have to put in their bodies. They do not have that right. Take it away from them.”
Takagishi says she understands why parents may be uneasy about putting things in their children’s bodies that are not naturally there.
“But we need to teach our immune system how to fight against these diseases, and the only way we can do that is through vaccines,” she said. “By removing these and allowing families to choose, they are not choosing to help their children be as healthy long-term.”
Takagishi also pointed out that the vaccines not only protect the children, but also those around them who may have a weakened immune system.
“Maintaining children's health is really not just maintaining this, but maintaining the community's health,” she said.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary, Grand Ballroom E, F, G, H, at 1501 International Parkway in Lake Mary.
