Editor’s note: The original February 2023 version of this article was lost. The Lee Daily Register rebuilt it in October 2026 from the sources cited below, and added what happened afterward. This story concerns the Republican Party in Lee County, Florida, not Lee County, Virginia, where this newspaper is based. The original version was written largely as opinion commentary; this version reports the facts as published by the sources cited.
This story is about Lee County, Florida, and not Lee County, Virginia. The Republican Party executive committee in Lee County, Florida, voted on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, to ask state leaders to ban the sale and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Florida. The measure is known as the “Ban the Jab” resolution.
The resolution calls on Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature to prohibit the sale and distribution of COVID-19 shots and all mRNA injections in the state. It also calls on the state attorney general to seize those injections and have a forensic analysis conducted, according to a Snopes review of the measure, which quoted reporting by the Lehigh Acres Citizen.
How the vote went
The Lehigh Acres Citizen, as quoted by Snopes, reported that the attending committee members approved the resolution by voice vote. It said the discussion before the vote split largely over whether a ban would infringe on individual choice and the view that a lack of informed consent is not consent.
The text was written by Joe Sansone, a party member, for the executive committee to consider, CBS News Miami reported. CBS News Miami said Sansone argued the risks of the vaccine are not worth it and labeled it a bioweapon. The Lehigh Acres Citizen, as quoted by Snopes, said the resolution cites several false or misleading claims about the vaccines before its final request.
A request, not a law
According to Snopes, the resolution was sent to DeSantis and to the state Senate as the Lee County party’s formal position. CBS News Miami reported that the party has no power of its own, so the governor can ignore the measure if he chooses. Snopes rated the claim that the party passed the measure as true, while noting that the move carried no legislative power.
Federal health officials describe the shots differently. In a 2024 archived copy of its COVID-19 vaccine safety page, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the vaccines underwent the most intensive safety analysis in U.S. history during the pandemic and are monitored through several safety systems, including the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. The same page described severe allergic reactions and heart inflammation (myocarditis and pericarditis) after vaccination as rare.
What happened next
Another Florida county party used similar wording later that year. Full Fact reported in August 2023 that the Brevard County Republican Executive Committee had written a letter calling on the governor and Legislature to prohibit the sale and distribution of COVID-19 injections, based on a news report dated July 13. The fact-checking group concluded that such calls are not legally binding and that there appeared to be no plans to ban COVID-19 vaccines in Florida.
In January 2024, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo urged residents to stop getting the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines over DNA-related safety concerns. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had responded in writing on Dec. 14, 2023, that it found no DNA virus in the shots and no genotoxicity, and on Jan. 4 it said it respectfully disagreed with Ladapo and stood behind the vaccines’ safety and effectiveness, NBC 6 South Florida reported. The report added that the CDC was recommending the vaccines for everyone 6 months and older.
