Florida begins a comprehensive review of school vaccine requirements affecting students in Coral Springs and districts across the entire state
Coral Springs, Florida – Florida is preparing to reexamine the rules that determine which vaccines children must receive before attending school, marking the state’s first official step toward possible changes that could affect families from Coral Springs to the Panhandle. The Department of Health has set a public workshop for Dec. 12 in Panama City Beach, giving residents a chance to hear and respond to potential revisions that could reshape long-standing statewide immunization requirements.
The meeting was announced in the Florida Administrative Register on Nov. 26 and later shared with Coral Springs residents by state Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, who represents parts of the city. The notice indicates that the workshop will include a detailed discussion of the vaccination standards applied to preschool and K–12 students in both public and private schools.
“These proposed vaccination rule changes could have a significant public health impact across Florida,” Hunschofsky said. “This workshop is an important opportunity for families, educators, and community members to stay informed and ask questions.”
Florida law requires agencies to hold public hearings when revising rules, giving parents, medical professionals, and education leaders the chance to weigh in before any updates are approved. The upcoming workshop, which will be hosted at the Hyatt Place Panama City Beach, is expected to draw a mix of supporters, skeptics, and residents seeking clarity. An agenda will be available upon request through the Department of Health.
The timing of the discussion is especially notable because the state is experiencing a sharp increase in pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough. The disease is vaccine-preventable, and students are currently required to receive Tdap — the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine — before entering seventh grade. State data shows that whooping cough cases have climbed dramatically, with 1,434 cases reported from Jan. 1 to Nov. 29, 2025, compared with 615 during the same period in 2024. Broward County, home to Coral Springs, saw its own rise from 40 cases to 68.
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Amid this uptick, the state’s political leadership has signaled an intention to revisit long-standing immunization rules. In September, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo joined Gov. Ron DeSantis at Grace Christian School in Valrico for a press conference where both expressed support for eliminating vaccine mandates in Florida schools. At that event, Ladapo was direct in his remarks, telling the crowd: “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.”
Officials later explained that the Department of Health would examine all existing requirements under the governor’s authority and propose rule changes where possible. Vaccines such as Hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), Hib, and pneumococcal disease fall within DOH’s rulemaking power, meaning they could be altered or removed without legislative action. However, other vaccines — including those for polio, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, mumps, rubeola, and rubella — are written into state statute. Changing those mandates would require lawmakers to pass new bills, and as of Nov. 26, none had been filed.
Despite the administration’s public comments and the ongoing health concerns, the Department of Health has not yet released the actual text of the proposed rule revisions. That leaves parents, school districts, and healthcare providers waiting to learn exactly which changes might be on the table during the Dec. 12 workshop. For many families, the meeting will be their first opportunity to hear how far the state may go in reshaping the immunization requirements that have been in place for decades.
The Department of Health’s rulemaking process typically involves several steps — drafting, public comment, revisions, and additional review before final approval. After the December workshop, the agency could decide to modify the proposal, advance it as written, or withdraw it altogether. State officials have not indicated how quickly they expect the process to move or whether they plan to finalize any updates before the next school year.
For now, the existing requirements for school entry remain fully in effect. Students in Broward County Public Schools and across the state must continue to meet all current vaccination standards to enroll or remain in class. Pediatricians, school nurses, and local health departments are still operating under the established guidelines, and no exemptions or rule changes have been issued.
The public conversation surrounding vaccines in Florida has grown increasingly complex, fueled by changing political priorities, differing public health perspectives, and the recent surge in preventable diseases. The Dec. 12 workshop is likely to serve as a pivotal moment in that debate, giving interested residents a platform to voice their concerns, ask questions, or express support for potential rule changes.
As communities like Coral Springs wait for details, officials emphasize that the workshop is only the beginning of a longer process. What happens after the meeting — whether the state rewrites decades-old standards, makes only small adjustments, or shelves the proposal entirely — will shape how Florida balances public health, parental choice, and school attendance requirements moving forward.
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