Fact Check

Did the Lee County, Florida, GOP Pass a Proposal To Ban COVID-19 Vaccines?

The group claimed to be acting on "behalf of the preservation of the human race."

Published Feb. 23, 2023

 (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Image courtesy of Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Claim:
The Lee County (Florida) Republican Party passed a proposal seeking to ban the sale and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Florida.
Context

The Lee County (Florida) Republican Party passed a resolution to send a proposal to the Florida Legislature, the Florida attorney general, and to state Gov. Ron DeSantis to ban the sale and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Florida, but the move carried no legislative power.

On Feb. 21, 2023, the Lee County, Florida, GOP passed a resolution seeking to ban COVID-19 vaccines from the state and the confiscation of all remaining doses, as reported by the Lehigh Acres citizen:

The Lee County Republican Party Executive Committee passed a "Ban the Jab" resolution Tuesday night, asking the Florida Legislature to ban the COVID vaccine and the Attorney General's Office to confiscate all doses within the state.

The resolution passed by a voice vote of the attending committee membership as presented after discussion split largely into two camps: whether banning the injections would be an infringement of individual choice and the prevailing view — that a lack of informed consent is not consent.

The proposal, citing several false or misleading claims about the vaccines first, makes this final resolution: 

On behalf of the preservation of the human race, the Lee County Republican Party calls upon Governor DeSantis and the state legislature to prohibit the sale and distribution of Covid injections and all mRNA injections in the state of Florida, and for the state Attorney General to immediately seize all Covid injections and mRNA injections in the state of Florida and have a forensic analysis conducted. 

The resolution was sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis and to the senate as the formal position of the Lee County GOP. Because this group has no legal power, as CBS News reported, "DeSantis can just ignore it if he chooses." 

Still, because the Lee County GOP did pass this resolution, we rate this claim as "True." 

Sources

Florida County Republican Party Votes to Ban the COVID-19 Vaccine. 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-county-republican-party-votes-to-ban-the-covid-19-vaccine/.

"Lee County Republican Party Executive Committee Passes 'Ban the Jab' Resolution." Lehighacrescitizen.Com, https://www.lehighacrescitizen.com/2023/02/22/lee-county-republican-party-executive-committee-passes-ban-the-jab-resolution/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.

Alex Kasprak is an investigative journalist and science writer reporting on scientific misinformation, online fraud, and financial crime.