UF students and faculty united under the blazing sun Friday to protest Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s move to eliminate vaccine mandates in the state.
About 60 people gathered near the UF College of Medicine, holding signs showing their support of vaccines. One said “Vaccines cause adults,” referring to the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Others said “Vaccines save lives,” and “I’m not throwing away my shot.”
On Sept. 3, Ladapo, who is also a UF professor of medicine, announced his plans to work with Gov. Ron DeSantis to make Florida the first state to eliminate all vaccine mandates.
UF Health released a responding statement, saying public health is a shared responsibility, people have to work together to keep everyone safe. The university still requires proof of immunizations, and UF Health said it is “dedicated to preserving the health and wellness of our campus.”
Ladapo previously expressed his skepticism of vaccines in his memoir, "Transcend Fear,” which he wrote during his first year of tenure at UF.
Dr. Leonardo Alonso, a Jacksonville emergency medicine physician, said he heard of the protest through Physicians for a National Health Program. UF’ student chapter, which hosted the protest, asked Alonso to be a speaker.
In his remarks to the crowd, the 65-year-old said Ladapo’s statement was "appalling." Vaccines have been proven to work throughout history, Alonso said.
Vaccines are a herd immunity concept, he said, and about 95% of the community should be vaccinated in order to protect those at risk, such as children and elderly. However, Florida is following below that line, Alonso said, which puts residents at a higher risk of contracting a disease.
Dr. Dan Purich, a UF medicine and biochemistry professor, said Ladapo’s stance on vaccines goes against what has been learned for hundreds of years — that vaccines are the most effective form of preventive medicine.
As Surgeon General, Ladapo is supposed to give the best care and advice he can offer for the health of the public, Purich said, but he is spreading untested ideas instead.
After the speeches, the crowd marched to the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. The protestors held their signs in front of Archer road and chanted “2-4-6-8, make sure to vaccinate,” and “What do we want? Vaccines! When do we want them? Now!”
Protesters cheered for nurses and doctors as they left the hospital, and cars honked in support as they drove past.
Erin Kim, a 25 year-old first year UF medical student, said she is worried for people who are at a higher risk of catching diseases.
“I came to protest to support having vaccines accessible to every single person,” Kim said. “I believe everyone should be able to have the ability to protect themselves.”
Ricardo Stewart, a 23-year-old UF second year medical student, said anti-vaccine statements are harmful to both current and future generations. He said vaccines protect everyone, and there is a large amount of evidence that proves it.
“When we know that vaccines save lives, that gives us a moral duty to mandate the ones that we know work,” Stewart said.
Every time the polio vaccine is removed, the virus comes back, he said, as is the same with measles and mumps. As of Sept. 10, there were over 1,000 reported cases of measles, a disease that can be prevented through vaccines.
Stewart said the measles outbreak is what is to come if statements like Ladapo’s go unchallenged.
Keenan Mike, a 23-year-old first year UF medical student, said the removal of vaccine mandates is concerning. There is already a high elderly population in Florida, he said, and there are people who cannot get immunized.
“A lot of people will be put at risk,” he said, “a lot of vulnerable populations.”
Contact Madeline Herring at mherring@alligator.org. Follow her on X @m_herring06.
Madeline is a first-year journalism and environmental science double major and the Fall 2025 general assignment reporter. In her free time she enjoys reading, binging new television series, and browsing the isles of target with her friends.
