In the midst of an emergency, Florida's Department of Health can mandate citizens receive vaccines. Sen. Joe Gruters wants that ability taken away.

The Sarasota Republican on Tuesday filed legislation (SB 734) removing any language about vaccines or vaccinations from powers in a public health emergency. It's an identical bill to House legislation (HB 6009) filed in August by Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a Howey-in-the-Hills Republican, that still awaits an agenda in the House Pandemics and Public Emergencies Committee.

Florida law today allows broad powers to demand citizens receive medical attention during a pandemic. That includes "ordering an individual to be examined, tested, vaccinated, treated, isolated, or quarantined for communicable diseases that have significant morbidity or mortality and present a severe danger to public health. Individuals who are unable or unwilling to be examined, tested, vaccinated, or treated for reasons of health, religion, or conscience may be subjected to isolation or quarantine."

The law goes on to say any individual who "poses a danger to the public health" may be forced by the state's health officer to use "any means necessary to vaccinate or treat the individual" if they do not submit to actions.

Gruters' bill only impacts the ability to require individuals to receive vaccinations. The only change to the relevant statute, at least as the bill is written today, is to remove five mentions of vaccines.

It's hard to imagine Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who won't reveal his own vaccine status in the midst of a global pandemic, would utilize those powers under current law. The first notable action Ladapo took after being appointed Surgeon General earlier this year was to drop quarantining requirements for students exposed to COVID-19.

Gruters did not return calls for comment about the new bill. In the past, he filed legislation to prohibit businesses from discriminating against individuals based on their COVID-19 vaccine status. The bill died in committee last year, but provisions mirrored those in a statewide ban on vaccine passports passed into law.