Florida Issues Emergency Rules Implementing New COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Laws

On December 3, 2021, the Florida Department of Legal Affairs of the state attorney general's office issued an emergency rule establishing the procedure for  private employer vaccination mandate complaints under  section 381.00317(3) and (4), Florida Statutes. The rule sets forth the complaint procedure, beginning with providing further clarification regarding key terms in the statute. The department also published a  list of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) that provides further information for employers. The Florida Department of Health also issued a set of forms and rules

What is a COVID-19 vaccination mandate?

Section 381.00317(1), Florida Statutes, states a "private employer may not impose a COVID-19 vaccination mandate . without providing individual exemptions that allow an employee to opt out of such requirement" for five separate reasons. Section (2) states that if an employee has submitted an exemption statement under one of the exemptions,