Florida filed a federal lawsuit Thursday that challenges moves by the Biden administration to require employees of federal contractors to provide proof of Covid-19 vaccinations by Dec. 8.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. district court in Tampa against several defendants, including President Joe Biden, NASA, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, the federal Office of Management and Budget and the federal General Services Administration.
DeSantis said he hopes the lawsuit, which includes requests for preliminary and permanent injunctions, provides relief to “thousands and thousands of Floridians who find their livelihoods in jeopardy due to federal mandates.” He also pointed to the potential of further litigation.
“We’re going to do more,” DeSantis said. “We want to make sure we’re protecting people’s jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods. Tossing people aside is just not something that we can tolerate.”
Moody called the federal vaccination requirement “unlawful” and “a complete and gross overreach.”
“This is not a dictatorship. President Biden, or his handlers, do not have the ability to control everything in this country. We, as states, have rights, and our citizens have rights and freedoms,” Moody said while appearing with DeSantis at the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland.
The lawsuit is the latest chapter in a series of fights between Florida Republican leaders and the Biden administration over Covid-19 and issues such as immigration. The state, for example, is battling with the federal government in court about Covid-19 guidelines for the cruise-ship industry and immigration policies.
Also, DeSantis has called for a special legislative session in November to push back against federal vaccination mandates. DeSantis said dates for the special session should be set by the end of the week.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat running for governor in 2022, criticized the latest lawsuit.
“This daily dose of vitriol from DeSantis is exhausting, dangerous, and doesn’t create a job, lift up a child, or solve any of many challenges of our state,” Fried said in a Twitter post.
DeSantis, who is widely considered to be a potential Republican candidate for president in 2024, said the vaccination requirement for federal contractors will hurt Florida’s economy and continue an expansion of federal authority.
“This is not the end of it,” DeSantis said. “I think we know, they always say, ‘Oh, well, we just need to do this.’ And then they go on to the next thing. And then the next thing and the next thing. And so, it’s important for us to take a stand, not only for what’s at stake here with the folks that could be affected, but also knowing that if you don’t give resistance to this, you’re going to continue to see other things, and they’re going to absolutely do more.”
The lawsuit contends, in part, that Biden didn’t have the authority to issue the regulations. It also contends that the regulations did not go through proper administrative processes and that the “unlawful vaccine requirements seek to interfere with Florida’s employment policies and threaten Florida with economic harm and the loss of federal contracts.”
NASA and the federal General Services Administration are named because they frequently contract with agencies such as Space Florida and the Florida Department of Education.
“Because Florida’s employees are generally not required to be vaccinated, the challenged actions threaten Florida with the loss of millions of dollars in future contracting opportunities and put undue pressure on Florida to create new policies and change existing ones, each of which threatens Florida with imminent irreparable harm,” the complaint said.
The federal order requires clauses about vaccinations in government contracts. It applies to contracts “entered into, renewed, or with an option to be exercised on or after October 15,” according to the lawsuit.
“Just because you are a business that has federal contracts, it’s not right for the federal government to come in and rewrite those contracts and then try to shoehorn this in,” DeSantis said.
The regulations give companies a little more than two weeks after Dec. 8 to show compliance. They are similar to vaccination rules for federal employees.
–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida
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Deborah Coffey says
It’s time to arrest Ron DeSantis for crimes against humanity. Not only that, he is spending OUR money to rationalize his crimes and his lies. How many Floridians are dead from Covid? How many unvaccinated cops is he recruiting…again, with OUR money? It’s time to get really mad, voters. This man needs to be held accountable.
Cynthia says
Agree 100%
b martin says
you are absolutely right! any employer who hires or recruits an unvaxed individual should be severely punished criminality. get real and NO I don’t want to be a puppet of the federal government especially one that is run by the current clown in office.
I’m talking to you. says
The only dictator in this situation is Deathsantis. He is and has been trying to get us all sick or worse from Covid or it’s complications. This includes the Children of Florida.
Is he doing this for votes? Yes, absolutely! From the very people who are harmed by his and trump’s policies. Why do you feel you were better off with trump as president? I’ll answer that, it’s because he made it ok for you to be a white supremacist. If that’s what you are I can’t care about you, at all. You’ll get what you deserve.
Desantis doesn’t care about anyone keeping their job. He cares about manipulating and gaslighting you into believing false claims about Covid cases, deaths, the vaccine, and masks. He’s made it all nothing more than a dog whistle so you come running to his side to lap up his lies like pablum.
Desantis cares only about power and money. He doesn’t care about Florida or this country.
Odd that his clearly evil, self serving decisions, blocking citizens from getting the truth, endangering teachers and students, medical professionals and patients, literally suing to stop us from protecting our kids seems to be ok with you.
Wonder why all this doesn’t seem to bother far right “christians” as long as they blow that other dog whistle, abortion. You all act like they make you feel important instead of controlled by them. It’s sad to watch, and you even wear them on your shirt and forehead, vehicles, homes as though you’re in the best club ever created instead of being trauma bonded to your abusers which is what is truly happening.
They’ll get you to serve them drinks and dinner however they can, or clean their house, drive them around, book their fancy vacations, mow their grass, roof their houses and dig their ditches. All this and for what? It’s to serve them, to serve them without paying you a living wage. Just as long as you’re under their thumb and let them get richer and make the rich even more wealthy. Biden is trying to give the middle class a step up. You’re middle class, or less. Why do you want to hurt yourself and pay thousands in taxes while the rich pay a tiny amount, like trump? He called the military “losers.” It’s disgusting. Do you like that?
Business owners, if you cannot afford to pay a living wage to your employees you do not deserve to own a business! Why do you expect others to sacrifice their lives to make your dream come true? It’s crazy.
Y’all have lost it completely and we’re not going down with you.
Jackson1955 says
Charlie Christ is right. DeSantis is not a stupid person. He is just making idiotic decisions that are killing my fellow Floridians so people in his party will like him. The fact that he isn’t stupid makes his actions 100 times worse. He knows he is hurting the people he is representing. It disgusts me to see so many elderly people in support of him. He has done nothing to help them and done plenty to get them killed. I’m lucky I got my parents vaccination appointments right away so they didn’t have time for foxnews or DeSantis to scare them off it. Now that they have lost friends they are thankful too. DeSantis is just the worst type of person and in charge is a danger to us all… Egotistical and insecure…. Should not be able to exist but like trump it does.
What can you expect from a “big wig” in Trump’s 21st Century Psycho Party? Moral cowardness, ethical bankruptcy, and intellectual destitution are virtues in their cult.
David Schaefer says
What a joke he will lose this one just like Trumpee.
marlee says
Remember DeathSantis on November 8, 2022!
Robert says
What monkey does monkey do’s, would we expect anything differently since he follows everything his idol does, hand jestures, sue’s whoever he can. Next thing when he loses and election he will claim voter fraud, and the voting machines were rigged from china. Fasten your seat belts for the realy tv show to continue.
Crusty old salt says
I find it rather ironic that Desantis and Moody talk about this is not a dictatorship and states have rights. While at the same time, the state is continuing to take away home rule for both counties and cities. They are talking from both sides of their mouths.
Cynthia says
DeSantis and his vax denier Surgeon General still can’t figure out that the way to protect jobs is to get as many people as possible vaccinated so they don’t get sick or pass COVID on to others. He is an embarrassment.
A.j says
Good job Trump Puppet, we Dems will try our best to elect a Dem. Gov.
Steve says
Spending more time money resources on useless bullshit. Its the Grand ole Parties way. rondon such a disappointment. Vote Accordingly
Samuel says
Death Santis needs to be charged crime against humanity, he has no compassion for the people the live under his careless watch. Every time he opens his Trumpster mouth you say OH GOD NOW WHAT?????? Everyone go to the polls on November 8th 2022, this is if he will let us, he may stop all elections before then and just declare himself a winner. He is a little boy in an adult body of a mini Trumpster Dictator. He has to go so more adults and children don’t die.
A.j says
I like the comments, perhaps enough of us will vote him out of office next year.
Timothy Patrick Welch says
My hope is when DeSantis becomes President that he continues to limit Federal government overreach.
Many in our country have noticed the courage, resolve, and determination of our state to oppose this tranny.
God continue to guide and protect those in authority over us.
Jackson1955 says
“President” of the Dog Catchers Association.
John Stove says
Yes…..by all means…..lets sue the Federal government because they had to resort to a mandate because the anti-vax people, Deathsantis, Fox news are killing the rest of us. Makes total sense in the world of imbeciles (Republicans) because the tin foil hat wearing voter “base” they cower to says the vaccine is a “hoax”. Deathsantis is the worst kind of politician…..no ideas, no help and wasting millions of our taxpayer money on a stupid lawsuit just so he can get on Fox news.
Let the Republicans put their money where their mouth is…..dont want to get vaccinated? ….fine….when you contract Covid and cant breathe, dont call 911. Just stay home and take your horse deworming pill and Vitamin C. Leave the hospital open for the rest of us so that we can take care of our other health needs and scheduled appointments.
You will be saving us a ton of money because our Health Insurance premiums wont be going up because you had to be hospitalized and spend days in the ICU.
Yes, please dont get vaccinated, stay home and treat yourself with all those remedies that you speak of.
You just stay home and we will send you “thoughts and prayers” like you do when major tragedies happen in our country.
What an idiot
marlee says
I mentioned this before in Flaglerlive comments…
He was our neighbor at Matanzas Shores and even the Republicans didn’t like him because he never spoke to anyone…he had a “better than you” attitude.
palmcoaster says
DitchSantis needs to use his own personal funds for these ridiculous, looser lawsuits not our hard earned taxes, needed instead to treat those without health insurance (Medicaid) or fund those that lost their homes to no fault of their own (homeless), etc,. etc.
Very easy in FL top sue its residents with the tax payers monies a la Flagler County BOCC.
b martin says
so if desantis is responsible for all covid deaths in FL then I’ll assume every governor and legislator including the president is also guilty of this crime against humanity in all other states? If not who is exempt from your charge?