Gov. DeSantis Announces Lawsuit Against Biden’s Federal Vaccine Mandate, One Week After Forcing Damning Admissions

 “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is vowing to fight President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large companies,” Fox 13 reported. “Hours after the Biden administration set a January 4 deadline, the governor and state attorney general Ashley Moody announced plans for a lawsuit against the federal government.”

Moody called the vaccine requirement “unlawful” and “unconstitutional” and she says she will be filing the lawsuit against the federal government as soon as possible.

“OSHA has never used its authority like this and it’s absurd,” Moody said. “This rule requires employees to get vaccinated or be weekly tested and wear a face covering. I’ve already heard from employers that this will affect numerous employees, some up to 35 percent.”

“People are so sick of constantly being bossed around, restricted, mandated, and all of these different things,” DeSantis said from Tallahassee. “We’ve had enough of it, and we want people to be able to make their own decisions.”

Attorney General Moody relayed that some businesses told her the new policy will cost their businesses millions of dollars. Governor Ron DeSantis got a concession from OSHA earlier this week.

“Less than a week after Governor DeSantis announced Florida is suing the Biden Administration for unlawfully requiring mandatory injections for federal contractors, the Biden Administration quietly updated the guidance creating more confusion for businesses and their employees,” the governor said in a press release.

“The backtracking by the Biden administration demonstrates that Florida has been right to stand up for people’s jobs and against federal overreach,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We are continuing to fight for Floridians. This edict from the Biden Administration is creating chaos for both workers and businesses, as well as putting livelihoods at risk. In Florida, your right to earn a living should not be contingent upon COVID shots. Federal contractors in Florida should suspend their threats of termination over the Biden mandate.”

There were several new additions to the federal contractor guidance on the vaccine mandate issued by the General Services Administration (GSA) that constitute major admissions of legal limitations.

Q: If a covered contractor can access a covered contractor employee’s vaccination documentation, consistent with relevant privacy laws, does the covered contractor need to require the employee to show or provide documentation?

A: No. If, consistent with all relevant privacy laws, a covered contractor can access its employee’s vaccination documentation directly, such as when the contractor previously requested the employee to provide vaccination documentation, has existing documentation from an employee vaccination program, or can access information through a State’s immunization database, the covered contractor does not need to require its employee to show or provide documentation.

Another new entry:

Q: Do all requests for accommodation need to be resolved by the covered contractor by the time that covered contractor employees begin work on a covered contract or at a covered workplace?

A: No. The covered contractor may still be reviewing requests for accommodation as of the time that covered contractor employees begin work on a covered contract or at a covered workplace. While accommodation requests are pending, the covered contractor must require a covered contractor employee with a pending accommodation request to follow workplace safety protocols for individuals who are not fully vaccinated as specified in the Task Force Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors.

Yet another admission:

Q: Do all requests for accommodation need to be resolved by the covered contractor by the time that covered contractor employees begin work on a covered contract or at a covered workplace?

A: No. The covered contractor may still be reviewing requests for accommodation as of the time that covered contractor employees begin work on a covered contract or at a covered workplace. While accommodation requests are pending, the covered contractor must require a covered contractor employee with a pending accommodation request to follow workplace safety protocols for individuals who are not fully vaccinated as specified in the Task Force Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors.

On October 28, Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody announced a lawsuit against the Biden Administration’s order requiring employees of federal contractors to be vaccinated by December 8. This made Florida the first state to bring a comprehensive legal action against the Biden vaccine mandate. The lawsuit seeks an immediate end to the unlawful requirement that federal contractors ensure that all employees have received a mandated injection.

“Nothing in that statute authorizes such a radical intrusion on the personal autonomy of American workers—especially, as is the case here, when many of those workers are officials of a sovereign state,” the lawsuit says.

“Because the government’s unlawful vaccine requirements seek to interfere with Florida’s employment policies and threaten Florida with economic harm and the loss of federal contracts, the State seeks relief from this Court,” the lawsuit added. The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court in Tampa, Florida.

Governor DeSantis also announced that a Special Legislative Session will begin November 15, 2021, and go no later than November 19, 2021, to provide protections for employees facing discrimination based on COVID-19 vaccine status.