Florida health officials have confirmed plans to eliminate four long-standing childhood vaccine requirements from the state’s administrative rules governing school and childcare attendance, marking a significant shift in public health policy while leaving statutory mandates intact.

The proposal, advanced by the Florida Department of Health, would remove these vaccines from the list required for enrollment in daycares, public schools, and related educational settings once the rulemaking process is completed.

The four vaccines targeted under the proposal are those for hepatitis B, varicella or chickenpox, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and pneumococcal disease.

State officials have emphasized that these requirements were established through departmental rules rather than direct legislation, giving the health department authority to revise or repeal them without action from lawmakers.

Under the plan, vaccines that are mandated by Florida law, including those protecting against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, would remain compulsory unless the Legislature acts separately to amend statute.

Health officials have framed the change as an effort to expand parental choice while maintaining compliance with existing law.

The proposal has entered the formal rulemaking process, which includes public notice, comment, and potential hearings before any final adoption.

State health leadership has described the move as part of a broader reassessment of vaccine policy following the pandemic, with an emphasis on individual decision-making and regulatory restraint.

If finalized, the change would make Florida one of the few states to roll back multiple childhood vaccine requirements through administrative action, reshaping the framework that has governed school immunizations for decades.