Florida

Florida school vaccine requirements remain unchanged despite federal guidance

Published

4 weeks ago

August 15, 2026

Florida school vaccine requirements remain unchanged despite federal guidance

APOPKA, Fla. — A major change to the nation’s childhood vaccine recommendations is raising questions for parents as children return to school, but the new federal guidance does not automatically change Florida’s vaccine requirements.

The new federal vaccine order reduces the number of diseases for which vaccines are recommended for all children and calls for the MMR vaccine to be split into three separate shots.

Dr. Cathy Franco, a pediatrician with the Community Health Centers, says she has followed recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics for the past 20 years.

“We follow their guidelines and their scheduling for vaccinations,” Franco said.

Current Florida guidelines require K-12 students to receive several vaccines, including hepatitis B, MMR and polio, with medical and religious exemptions available.

Community Health Centers operate 16 locations across Central Florida and provide vaccines regardless of whether patients have insurance.

“We offer the same care for patients who might, who are insured, but also who are underinsured and uninsured,” Franco said.

Dr. Kelly Moore, formerly with the CDC and now CEO of Immunize.org, says the order does not significantly change how people receive vaccines.

“Although this new executive order was alarming or upsetting to some people, it actually doesn’t change anything about how people receive their vaccines around the country,” Moore said.

Any changes to Florida’s requirements would have to come through the state.

Moore says the MMR vaccine is not ready to be separated because separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are not currently available in the United States.

“There are not separate vaccines available in this country. So, we only have the MMR vaccine. But there’s no reason to change that. The vaccine is very, very well studied, and we should reassure everyone that it’s safe,” Moore said.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has previously been outspoken about changing the state’s vaccine requirements.

“The Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the governor, is going to be working to end all vaccine mandates and for the long haul,” Ladapo said.

Florida’s leaders have continued to push for changes to vaccine requirements, but the state’s school mandate remains in place.

Some of those requirements have been in place for nearly 50 years.

“You know, I think Florida is interesting because there were such there’s such talk about vaccines and vaccine policy, but at the end of the day, nothing changed,” Moore said.

Earlier this year, Senate Bill 626 was introduced that would have changed the list of diseases for which vaccines are required for school attendance.

The bill died in the Senate in March.

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Florida

Brad White: Florida’s Defense Fell Short of ‘The Standard’ – WRUF 98.1 FM | 850 AM

Published

3 hours ago

September 8, 2026

Press Room

Florida’s 66-21 season-opening win over Florida Atlantic left little to complain about from the scoreboard.

But for defensive coordinator Brad White, there was plenty to clean up.

The Gators’ new-look defense gave up 396 yards to FAU, including two lengthy touchdown drives in the first half. After reviewing the film, White told the media on Tuesday the problems weren’t necessarily physical. Instead, Florida struggled with awareness, communication and adjusting to FAU’s tempo.

“In every game, there’s going to be good and there’s bad,” White said. “That was not the standard that we want to set for how to play defense around here.”

Florida knew FAU had the ability to play uptempo, but White said the Gators allowed the Owls to dictate their play at times rather than responding to it. The defense also had to adjust when FAU moved away from its explosive, pass-heavy identity and instead methodically worked its way down the field.

White emphasized the importance of understanding down and distance situations, especially in a stadium where communication becomes difficult once the crowd reaches its peak.

“At that point, you as a coach cannot communicate anymore,” White said. “It goes back to you have to be trained, and we have not done a good enough job.”

That makes Saturday’s matchup against Campbell another opportunity for a defense still learning how to play together under White.

There were positives in the opener. Florida had two interceptions by DJ Coleman and Dijon Johnson. White said Coleman’s preparation and work ethic have helped him quickly establish himself as a leader on the defense.

But the Gators offense gave the defense some breathing room.

Florida piled up 624 yards in its first game under offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, and the new system showed its versatility even after wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. left with an injury. Faulkner said the offense was able to shuffle players into different roles and continue producing.

“That’s where the versatility comes in in the offense,” Faulkner said.

Running back Jadan Baugh provided one of the highlights, breaking off a 61-yard run. Faulkner said the play was not only a product of Baugh’s explosiveness but also of the receivers and tight ends blocking downfield.

The offense’s depth was on display again through Duke Clark, who scored his first touchdown as a Gator. Clark said the versatility of Faulkner’s offense allows him to line up in multiple places and use the skills he developed playing both offense and defense in high school.

Clark said he also added 13 pounds since last season, going from 195 to 208 pounds, as he continues adapting to his expanded role.

Special teams provided another bright spot. Kicker Patrick Durkin connected on a 53-yard field goal in his first game in The Swamp. Durkin said the moment was made even more special by the environment and the relationships he has built with his teammates.

Durkin has made a point of being more than just a specialist within Florida’s program. He said he regularly competes with players from other position groups in the weight room and spends time with teammates away from football, including bowling and playing card games with the quarterbacks.

“I never want to be a specialist kind of to the side,” Durkin said. “The team stuff is the most important thing to me.”

For Florida, the attention has already shifted from what went right against FAU to what needs to be better Saturday against Campbell.

White said the defense has to learn from making mistakes without losing confidence.

“This is a time to challenge,” White said. “This is a building process.”