Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expanding his war on measures that might contain the coronavirus pandemic by threatening to sue local governments inside the state of Florida.
If a local government entity tells its employees that they must get vaccinated, DeSantis is pledging to fine them $5,000 per employee.
The threat stems from a law DeSantis signed in May that bans “governmental entities in Florida from requiring proof of vaccination or post-infection recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from their operations," his office said. "Additionally, the law imposes a $5,000 fine per violation for any entity, including government entities, that asks to see proof of vaccination in Florida.”
The state is preparing to begin enforcing the law on Thursday.
Republicans used to say that they favor 'local control' of governing manners, but it doesn't get any more local than a city government telling its own clerks to get a shot.
Up to this point, the GOP has been reluctant to attack businesses or corporations that impose vaccine mandates for their employees, but that's not fundamentally different from a local government doing the same thing. The only difference is the politics.
Republicans would declare a new monarchy and kill you themselves if they thought it would increase their standing in the polls.