TALLAHASSEE, Florida (LifeSiteNews) — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis told attendees at a private GOP event Saturday that he plans to hold Pfizer and Moderna “accountable”, arguing they were not transparent about their oft-mandated drugs’ side effects.
DeSantis, who seized a massive re-election victory in last month’s gubernatorial race, made the remarks during a Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) event on December 3 at the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee, according to American Greatness.
In a video embedded in the outlet’s report, DeSantis promised to work in conjunction with Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo “to hold these manufacturers accountable for this mRNA [shot] because they said there were no side effects and we know that there have been a lot.”
While DeSantis didn’t name names, the mRNA jabs widely in use in the U.S. are made by Big Pharma giants Pfizer and Moderna. Johnson & Johnson’s shot doesn’t use mRNA technology.
The conservative governor, who has surpassed former president Donald Trump in recent polls gauging Republican preference for the 2024 presidential race, also referenced a recent analysis conducted by Florida’s Department of Health that uncovered a disturbing spike in heart problems among mRNA jab recipients.
“We did a study in Florida and we saw an 86% [sic] increase in cardiac related activity in people ages 18 to 39 from mRNA shots — and so we’re going to be doing some stuff to bring accountability there,” DeSantis said.
In October, Florida’s department of health formally advised young men against receiving themRNA injections, citing their analysis that found “an 84% increase in the relative incidence of cardiac-related death among males 18-39 years old within 28 days following mRNA vaccination,” according to a department press release.
READ: Florida says young men should not receive mRNA COVID shots due to cardiac death risks
“Studying the safety and efficacy of any medications, including vaccines, is an important component of public health,” Ladapo said in the October 7 statement. “Far less attention has been paid to safety and the concerns of many individuals have been dismissed – these are important findings that should be communicated to Floridians.”
“With a high level of global immunity to COVID-19, the benefit of vaccination is likely outweighed by this abnormally high risk of cardiac-related death among men in this age group,” the statement added.
To date, the CDC maintains that the mRNA COVID-19 shots are “safe and effective and severe reactions after vaccination are rare.” The agency notes that “[s]ome people have no side effects” following jab reception, but that “[m]any people have reported side effects, such as headache, fatigue, and soreness at the injection site, that are generally mild to moderate and go away within a few days.”
However, the CDC does acknowledge a “small but increased risk of myocarditis after mRNA COVID-19 vaccines” especially among young men.
In his Saturday remarks, DeSantis highlighted the work Florida has already done to protect residents from coercive jab mandates, including the November 2021 legislation banning blanket vaccine mandates.
“We wouldn’t let them mandate on you in Florida,” DeSantis told attendees at the Saturday GOP event, making note of attempts by Florida localities and companies like Disney to enforce jab mandates upon workers.
“We said no across the board, so everybody had the ability to opt out of anything they were trying to impose on you,” the governor said. He observed that many Americans who didn’t live in Florida were compelled to get the jab because their state governments didn’t protect them against mandates.
“And then what? They’re not allowed to sue or get any sort of recourse when this was something they wanted to do? So this is something that we’re going to lead on in Florida,” DeSantis vowed.
READ: Ex-Disney employees sue company for rejecting religious exemptions to COVID jabs
In addition to promising to hold vaccine manufacturers to account and urging “particular caution” regarding reception of the shots for young men, Florida has stood alone as the only state to refuse participation in the rollout of COVID shots for babies and young children between six months and five years old.
In March, the Sunshine State formally advised against jabbing children and teens under age 18 with the experimental injections.
