Florida pulls $3.5M fine over vaccine mandate as Leon County agrees to consider rehiring fired employees

The Florida Department of Health is pulling back its $3.5 million fine against Leon County for its vaccine mandate after the state and administrator Vince Long signed a settlement agreement.

As part of the agreement, Long agreed to consider rehiring the 14 employees who were terminated for refusing to comply.

"The county strongly contends that our employee vaccination requirement was not only completely legally justifiable at that time, but was also a necessary and responsible action to take to protect our employees and protect the public," Long wrote in a statement.

More: TMH confirms omicron variant in Tallahassee; Leon County again requires masks for employees

Long noted that the county immediately scrapped its mandate after a new law went into effect on Nov. 18 after a special session to block mandates. It prohibits counties from requiring vaccinations as a condition of employment going forward.

The agreement came on the same day the county reinstated its mask mandate for its employees and hours after the first six cases of the omicron variant were detected locally. At its Dec. 14 meeting, the Leon County Commission unanimously approved allowing County Attorney Chasity O'Steen to move forward with the settlement agreement.

In July as the Delta variant spiked, Leon County began requiring employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine to" keep employees and the community safe and ensure operational readiness."

In October, Leon County was slapped with a $3.5 million fine from FDOH after terminating more than a dozen employees who did not receive the COVID-19 vaccination or an exemption.

Earlier coverage: Leon County facing $3.57 million state fine for vaccine requirement

"As part of the settlement agreement with the state reached on Dec. 17, no monetary penalties or fines will be imposed on the County," Long wrote.

"Additionally, the employees who were terminated under the vaccine mandate may be considered for re-employment upon submitting an application for employment with the County, and failure to comply with the requirement and vaccination status will not be considered.

"We look forward to continuing to protect the community and promote public health by encouraging COVID-19 testing, vaccinations and facilitating other related response efforts."

Reach Editor William Hatfield at whatfield@tallahassee.com.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida pulling back $3.5 million fine against Leon County