Dear Arizona, Don’t Florida this Up.

September 8, 2025

By Ashley Chambers

Read the full story on Arizona Capitol Times

The Florida Surgeon General has made headlines for proposing a policy scrapping vaccine mandates, proudly placing politics over Floridians’ health. And while this may sound like just another “Florida Man” story, Arizona shouldn’t shrug off the lunacy—because our state legislature is showing signs of catching the same anti-science cold. Worryingly, some Arizona lawmakers have been busy reposting to their social media Florida’s vaccine rollback announcement like it’s an achievement — not a public health disaster in the making. 

Here’s the thing: when one state signals that facts and science don’t matter, others take it as permission to do the same. And Arizona has already proven itself particularly vulnerable to the virus of misinformation about childhood vaccines, which have prevented outbreaks of diseases that would destroy our daycares, schools, medical system and our state economy. Over the past few years, our state lawmakers have proposed bills not on increasing access or confidence in vaccines, but instead imposing barriers to strong immunization policy and actively discouraging vaccines, under the guise of “informed choice.” Chipping away at the wall of community immunity—state by state, bad bill by bad bill—puts us all at risk, and is nothing that should be celebrated or replicated.