Florida Rep. calls on Gov. DeSantis to eliminate vaccine permission form

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ORLANDO, Fla. - A vaccine permission form required by the Florida Department of Health is getting some flack from local politicians.

For people without insurance, the form could mean the difference between whether they get the COVID-19 vaccine or not.

Tracy Conde has not had health insurance since she lost her job during the pandemic, so getting an appointment for a doctor to sign this form could cost her.

"There are a lot of people that are affected that are still out of jobs and don’t have health care," Conde said. "Some cannot afford to just go to the doctor and pay to have a form signed that's for a vaccine that’s supposed to be free."

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She and some state politicians said this form is just another roadblock to getting the vaccine.

"Access to a primary care physician is an ongoing crisis in the state of Florida," said Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith. "We have millions of Floridians who are currently uninsured, who don’t have access to a primary care physician, and many have underlying medical conditions that make them extremely vulnerable."

Guillermo Smith said he is calling on Governor Ron DeSantis to eliminate the form.

"The way to fix this is to no longer require the form," he said. "I think we’re at a point in the vaccine distribution process, while there’s not an unlimited supply, there’s enough supply for us to be able to really just create an honor system as it relates to people with underlying medical conditions."

He called this a life and death issue, something that people like Tracy Conde know all too well.

"My mom recently passed away because of COVID, so it’s kind of a big thing I’ve been dealing with," she cried.

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