TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pick to be the state’s surgeon general.
The party-line 24-15 vote was the culmination of a contentious approval process for Ladapo, who faced hours of questions from two different Senate committees in recent weeks.
In a brief debate session Wednesday, Republican senators made the case for Ladapo as a maverick thinker who won’t let politics or media narratives get in the way of doing what’s best for Florida.
“We get a man who literally looks at the data. Who, yes, follows the science, and questions it. That’s what I want. I want the best,” said state Sen. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican. “I want a nationally recognized, not only a doctor, but a researcher who’s going to be there when the going gets tough.”
Democrats argued against Ladapo’s confirmation, claiming the Harvard-trained doctor has been too politically divisive to be an effective leader for the state’s Department of Health. They noted that Ladapo offered less than full-throated support for coronavirus vaccines when asked about them in committees. And they questioned his ability to stand up to his boss, DeSantis.
Lawmakers also highlighted Ladapo’s refusal to wear a mask during a meeting with state Sen. Tina Polsky, a Boca Raton Democrat, who was undergoing breast cancer treatment. At the time, Senate President Wilton Simpson, a Trilby Republican, called Ladapo’s actions “unprofessional.”
“There is a place in science for those who like to go against the grain,” Polsky said Wednesday. “And that place is research or academia, which is his specialty. He can publish all the editorials he wants decrying accepted science, but what he cannot and should not do is lead the Florida Department of Health.”
Although Ladapo has been acting as the state’s top doctor since September, Wednesday’s Senate confirmation makes Ladapo’s title official. He will serve at the governor’s pleasure going forward.
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