There are mixed reactions from lawmakers after Governor Ron DeSantis set dates for a special session.
The week-long special session will start on November 15th. Governor DeSantis wants the legislature to block vaccine mandates and bar public schools from requiring masks and imposing quarantines.
State Rep. Geraldine Thompson, a Democrat whose district includes Southwest Orange County, Windermere and Walt Disney World, said her constituents aren’t asking for a ban on vaccine mandates.
“The businesses are saying ‘give us the prerogative to make our own decisions about what works for our enterprise.’ So the businesses are not asking for this, in fact they are pushing back against it," said Thompson.
“If you consider the cruise industry, for example, people are not going to cruise if they are not sure if the person sitting next to them has been vaccinated. So it’s good for the industry to have that kind of rule in place. So businesses are saying, ‘back off, let us handle this.’”
Randy Fine, a Republican representing district 53 in Southern Brevard County, applauded the call for a special session. On his Facebook page, Fine wrote that the legislature would work to “pass legislation to protect workers, parents, and children from morally reprehensible abuse and overreach by Joe Biden and School Board politicians.”
“Can’t wait,” wrote Fine.