By Jefferey Jaxen

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently held an ‘Accountability Roundtable for mRNA Shots’ bringing together both experts and the public for a live-streamed discussion. Having been the most outspoken governor during America’s COVID response on issues like masking, lockdowns, and vaccine mandates, DeSantis appears to be carrying that momentum through to larger measures with three new announcements.  

We know there’s been a lot of faith destroyed in public health” stated DeSantis during the livestream leading into his announcement of a new public health committee for the State of Florida. 

To answer this need to renew trust in public health, DeSantis stated the following:

“…Other governors and I have talked about the need to have a panel of experts who can counteract nonsense when it’s coming out of these institutions. That are not just going to go along with the flow and follow pre-cooked narratives. But will actually do evidence-based analysis.

“In Florida, we’re creating what we’re calling the Public Health Integrity Committee. It’s a committee of expert researchers that will be able to assess recommendations and guidance related to public health and healthcare. But particularly being able to offer critical assessments of things that bureaucracies like the FDA, CDC and NIH are doing.”

Will this new committee prompt other state governors to enact similar panels in an effort to filter out bad policy and science coming from the federal government in relation to public health? 

In addition to this new committee, DeSantis also announced a petition with the Supreme Court of Florida to impanel a statewide Grand Jury to investigate “any and all wrongdoing in Florida with respect to COVID-19 vaccines.”

DeSantis added that the potential Grand Jury will come with ‘legal processes’ to bring accountability to those who created misconduct. 

In October 2022, The Florida Department of Health conducted an analysis through a self-controlled case series, which is a technique originally developed to evaluate vaccine safety.

This analysis found that there is an 84% increase in the relative incidence of cardiac-related death among males 18-39 years old within 28 days following mRNA vaccination. 

These findings, against the global backdrop of mounting global scientific evidence of myocarditis in young males stemming from the mRNA COVID shots, prompted the State Surgeon General at the time to recommends against males aged 18 to 39 from receiving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines stating in a press release that “…the benefit of vaccination is likely outweighed by this abnormally high risk of cardiac-related death.”  

Carrying thought the initial scientific investigation into myocarditis by the State of Florida, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo added a third announcement during the recent roundtable. 

We are initiating a program here in Florida where we will be studying the incidence, in surveillance, of myocarditis within a few weeks of COVID-19 vaccination for people who died. This is going to be a surveillance study working with some of our medical examiners in Florida.”

Ladapo added, “We’re also going to be working with the University of Florida so there will be a component that will have more of a research arm to it.

Over the last few years, states have begun to take bolder action in the public health space using the powers granted to them. In February, state attorneys general reached a $26 billion settlement to resolve an avalanche of civil lawsuits against four major U.S. corporations for their role in helping to fuel the deadly opioid crisis in America.

During the COVID response, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry brought a lawsuit against the federal government for allegedly colluding with social media companies to censor speech. 

Their actions allowed damning internal emails and discovery documents to be entered into the public conversation showing several government agencies regularly engaging Big Tech platforms to curtail speech.  Many federal officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have been or will be required to sit for depositions in the case as well. 

Yet few, if any, states have taken their powers to the extent that Florida is currently proposing. The state’s three-pronged approach of potential legal action against vaccine-makers mixed with their own in-house scientific committee and research initiative is their effort at bringing transparency and trust back to a science and public health community badly damaged by myopic federal policies and edicts over the last few years. 

Will other states see value in Florida’s approach and attempt to repeat the formula for their citizens? 

Jefferey Jaxen

Jefferey Jaxen is a health journalist and featured in his weekly segment, ’The Jaxen Report’, on The HighWire. As an investigative journalist, researcher, and compelling writer, Jefferey serves as Lead editor of The HighWire News and Opinion Team.

Other Headlines

Coronavirus

Former Governor Cuomo Questioned in COVID Hearing Over Nursing Home Policy Linked to 15,000 Deaths

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo testified in front of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on Tuesday to discuss his role in the deaths of elderly residents at nursing home facilities during the pandemic. Chairman Brad Wenstrup called the hearing and said the focus was on Cuomo’s March 25 directive that required nursingContinue reading Former Governor Cuomo Questioned in COVID Hearing Over Nursing Home Policy Linked to 15,000 Deaths

More news about Coronavirus

Health & Nutrition

Time Magazine Changes Headline About Ultra-Processed Foods After Online Backlash

Time Magazine received criticism and backlash for publishing an article originally titled, “What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?” The outlet has since changed the title to “Why One Dietitian is Speaking Up for Ultra-Processed Foods.” This comes after a Tucker Carlson segment about health issues in the United States has goneContinue reading Time Magazine Changes Headline About Ultra-Processed Foods After Online Backlash

More news about Health & Nutrition

Vaccines

FDA Renews Emergency Use Authorization for Updated COVID-19 Vaccines

The FDA has approved new formulations of the COVID-19 vaccines under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The fact sheet released by the FDA states, “An EUA is supported by a Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) declaration that circumstances exist to justify the emergency use of drugs and biological products during the COVID-19 pandemic. AContinue reading FDA Renews Emergency Use Authorization for Updated COVID-19 Vaccines

More news about Vaccines

Science & Tech

USDA Reopens Comment Period for Deregulation of Gene-Edited Plants

The deregulation of gene-edited plants is on the USDA agenda, and the public comment period has been extended by 21 days. The comment page has yet to be posted on the Federal Register. CRISPR is a new technology that is being used in agriculture to modify plants. “New Gene Technologies” or NGTs are how big agricultural companies like Bayer areContinue reading USDA Reopens Comment Period for Deregulation of Gene-Edited Plants

More news about Science & Tech

Environment

EPA Bans Herbicide Dacthal (DCPA) Over Fetal Health Risks

The EPA has banned Dacthal (DCPA), an herbicide commonly used on vegetables, following an assessment last year that showed severe risks for unborn babies. This is the first time the EPA has initiated an emergency order of this kind in 40 years. Michael Freehoff from the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention said,Continue reading EPA Bans Herbicide Dacthal (DCPA) Over Fetal Health Risks

More news about Environment

Policy

NTP Report Links Fluoride to Lower IQ in Children Amidst Ongoing EPA Lawsuit

A new report has found that water fluoridation levels at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended levels are linked to lower IQ in children. The report was conducted by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The federal agency reviewed and analyzed previous studies before concludingContinue reading NTP Report Links Fluoride to Lower IQ in Children Amidst Ongoing EPA Lawsuit

More news about Policy