Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Tuesday that he is petitioning the Florida Supreme Court to empanel a grand jury to “investigate any and all wrongdoing” with respect to the Covid jabs within his state.
While speaking at a roundtable event centered on the shots’ side effects along with Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and numerous medical professionals, DeSantis emphasized the need to uncover “more information” about how the jabs were marketed to the public and hold accountable individuals who willingly violated state law.
“In Florida, it is against the law to mislead and to misrepresent, particularly when you’re talking about the efficacy of a drug,” DeSantis said. “[The grand jury investigation] will come with legal processes that will [allow us to] to get more information and to bring legal accountability for those who committed misconduct.”
The Florida governor expressed confidence that the state’s highest court will approve his request and predicted the grand jury will be convened in the Tampa Bay area.
During the public discussion, DeSantis also announced the creation of a Public Health Integrity Committee, which will reportedly “offer critical assessment” of guidance and policies from federal health agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Included on the committee are co-author of the “Great Barrington Declaration” and Stanford professor Jay Bhattacharya, California epidemiologist Tracy Høeg, and Louisiana emergency room doctor Joseph Fraiman, among others.
“We know that there’s been a lot of faith destroyed in public health and I think that it’s important we have folks who people actually can rely on,” DeSantis said.
Unlike other states, Florida has been at the forefront of bringing transparency to potential side effects and harms caused by the mRNA injections. In October, Ladapo’s office updated its guidance on the Covid shots to include recommendations against 18–39-year-old males receiving the jab due to an increased risk of cardio-related death.
The department issued similar guidance back in March, which advised against giving the jabs to children under 18 due to the “[l]imited risk of severe illness” posed by the virus, the “[h]igh prevalence of existing immunity,” and the risk of myocarditis, among others.
