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A new survey reveals that eight out of ten voters in Florida support maintaining the current vaccination requirements in the state's public schools, according to a poll by McLaughlin & Associates conducted between April 20 and 23, 2026.
The result aligns with a previous survey by the same firm, conducted between January 5 and 8, in which 79% of likely voters in Florida expressed support for maintaining the current school vaccination policies.
The Republican pollster Jim McLaughlin, a veteran strategist for the Republican Party and pollster for President Donald Trump, described the support as a strong and stable consensus.
"This is a lasting consensus," McLaughlin stated. "It appears that almost eight out of ten voters support the current law, a majority opposes changing it, and large majorities lean even more in that direction when considering the consequences. This indicates that this issue holds firm among voters."
The survey is published on the same day that a special four-day legislative session convened by Governor Ron DeSantis begins, in which the topic of "medical freedom" is included in the agenda.
The Republican senator Clay Yarborough from Jacksonville plans to introduce identical legislation to the SB 1756 bill, known as the Medical Freedom Act, during this session. The Florida Senate approved it on March 9 with a vote of 23 to 15, but it did not receive a hearing in the House of Representatives during the regular session and consequently died.
The project would expand the exemptions for school vaccines to include conscientious objections or personal reasons, in addition to the existing medical or religious exemptions.
It would also authorize the sale of ivermectin without a prescription and make the prohibition against discrimination based on COVID-19 vaccination status permanent.
The legislative debate comes at a time of growing health concerns: Florida has confirmed over 100 cases of measles so far in 2026, making it the third state with the highest number of cases in the country.
Child vaccination rates in kindergarten in Florida stand at just 88.1%, below the 95% threshold needed to achieve herd immunity.
Nationally, the U.S. recorded 1,136 cases of measles in the first eight weeks of 2026, a figure that exceeds six times the historical annual average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Critics of the project warn about the risks of reducing vaccination coverage. Representative Driskell described it as "an anti-vaccine agenda disguised as medical freedom."
Conversely, Yarborough defended the measure by stating that it "gives all parents the ability to make the decision they believe is best for their child and family."
The legislative push is part of a trend promoted since 2025 by DeSantis and the Florida Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, who presented a plan in September of that year to eliminate school vaccination mandates in the state, describing them as "misguided."
The special legislative session is extended until May first, and the results of the survey add political pressure on lawmakers seeking to relax vaccination rules, as public support for maintaining them remains strong even among Florida's Republican electorate.
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