FLORIDA: The US state of Florida has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration challenging its federal order mandating compulsory COVID-19 vaccinations for all workers in companies with government contracts, Governor Ron DeSantis said on Thursday.
"We are... going to pursue litigation today: The state of Florida has filed another lawsuit against the Biden administration challenging the federal order on vaccine mandates," DeSantis said in a televised press conference. "It is not right for the federal government to require those contracts and try to shoehorn things in."
DeSantis explained that a lawsuit has been filed in Tampa, Florida, and the state government is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the process. "That is not the way business should be done: We do not think they have the authority to do this. ... [The lawsuit has been] filed in the Tampa division we are going to seek a preliminary injunction. [The mandate] exceeds the current administration's authority under the federal law and the Constitution," he said.
State Attorney General Ashley Moody added that mandating vaccines was not the role of the federal government and that it had "absolutely no right, none whatsoever" to do so. Moody said the mandate was a complete and gross overreach of the federal government into the personal autonomy of US workers.