Florida moves to kill vaccine mandates; state surgeon general slams them as ‘slavery’
Florida is moving to end all vaccine mandates in the state.
At a Sept. 3 press conference, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida's surgeon general, said that every one of them is wrong. Lapado said he doesn't have the right to say what should be put into your child’s body.
Vaccine requirements are in state law. Ladapo, the state's top public health official, said lawmakers will “have to choose a side.” To those who don’t want to get vaccinated, he said, “God bless you.”
According to Florida law, immunizations are required for polio, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella, pertussis, mumps, tetanus and other communicable diseases as determined under rules stated by the Department of Health.
Last year, the number of whooping cough cases in Florida soared. From Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024, the Florida Department of Health reported 715 cases of pertussis – an eight-fold increase over the year before, which had 85 cases.
Melbourne approves 176-acre land purchase for Orlando Melbourne International Airport
Melbourne Orlando International Airport will go forward with the purchase of 176 acres to expand its property. WFIT’s Justin Howerter has more.
The deal was unanimously approved by Melbourne City Council on Aug. 28.
The $28 million purchase is for land adjacent to the runway that borders the rest of the airport's property. It is intended to "secure space for aeronautical development" down the road, according to a release from the Melbourne Airport Authority. The land is currently owned by a Pennsylvania-based limited partnership.
The Airport Authority approved the land purchase in July pending a final approval by City Council.
Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey, who also sits on the Airport Authority's board, said the purchase was made possible by careful planning over the years. Alfrey said the sale of Tropical Haven, a 759-lot manufactured housing community formerly on airport property, for $42 million this past year was able to free up the funds to purchase land that could be used for commercial and industrial development. In addition to the MAA's cash reserves, the airport will also use a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation.
MLB officials are seeking a patriotic crowd to greet Space Coast Honor Flight Veterans on September 6
WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us why:
On Saturday, 50 veterans will take Space Coast Honor Flight’s first trip from Melbourne Orlando International Airport to Washington, D.C., for a one-day, all-expenses-paid tour of the Capitol.
Airport executive director Greg Donovan, noted “You realize that many of them never got this. You hear some of the stories that some of the Vietnam veterans were told to take off their uniforms — they came home to some people that were upset with them and upset with the war.
The public is invited to a welcome-home ceremony when the group’s return flight lands at 9:34 p.m. at MLB.
See photos of the Wednesday morning SpaceX rocket launch from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX launched a batch of 28 Starlink internet satellites to orbit after sunrise Wednesday, Sept. 3. The liftoff occurred at 7:56 a.m. from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster landed aboard SpaceX's drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas out on the Atlantic Ocean, completing its 14th mission.
The next launch is set for no earlier than 6:58 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A.