Days after United States President Joe Biden released sweeping vaccine mandates in an attempt to contain the surge in COVID-19 cases, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said that businesses that will follow these mandates will be fined $5,000 per employee.
DeSantis made the comments while he was speaking in Alachua County. The governor slammed Biden’s new stringent vaccine rules as per which businesses that have more than 100 workers, including federal employees of the executive branch, must ensure that their employees are either vaccinated or tested once a week. Businesses that will not comply will face a $14,000 fine per violation.
Biden also wanted businesses to ask customers for proof of vaccination before being serviced. DeSantis said that Biden’s move “ignores the science” regarding “people’s natural immunity after being infected with COVID-19,” Fox News reported.
Besides slamming Biden, DeSantis also made sure that cities or counties in Florida that require public government employees to get vaccinated to keep their jobs will be charged $5,000 for every single violation.
“We are going to stand for the men and women who are serving us. We are going to protect Florida jobs. We are not going to let people be fired because of a vaccine mandate,” he said. The governor further pointed out that people who have been serving faithfully should not be cast aside over the issue. DeSantis said that getting vaccinated is a personal choice on their health, and this should not be allowed to destroy people’s jobs.
Aside from the $5,000 per violation, the businesses that will follow Biden’s orders will likewise face fees for fines.
One of the counties in Florida that already imposed a vaccine mandate for all county employees is Orange County. Mayor Jerry Demings of the county gave the employees until Sept. 30 to comply. As of now, around 4,700 of the 7,561 county employees have received a complete vaccination. A total of 779 received at least a first dose.
