Ron DeSantis wants Joseph Ladapo at CDC
Joseph Ladapo is telling doctors to place pediatric patients on a routine drug screening program, citing an increase in marijuana use among kids just before voters decide on a ballot initiative to legalize pot. Image via AP.

ladapo desantis
The mutual admiration society shows no sign of breaking up.

Florida’s Governor is recommending his Surgeon General for yet another job in the Donald Trump administration.

Ron DeSantis believes Dr. Joseph Ladapo would be a “fantastic selection” to helm the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The recommendation is timely, as former Congressman Dave Weldon did not move forward in the process due to insufficient support from Senate Republicans.

If this feels familiar, it’s because DeSantis has done this before. He pushed for Ladapo’s nomination for the head of the Department of Health and Human Services before Robert Kennedy Jr. was nominated.

In turn, Ladapo campaigned for DeSantis during the last presidential race, and strongly suggested he wants First Lady Casey DeSantis to be Governor more recently.

Ladapo, who is the second Surgeon General under the DeSantis administration and is also a Professor of Medicine at the University of Florida, has been vocal about vaccines and their side effects, among other issues, since he took over for Scott Rivkees during the pandemic.

In addition to repeatedly making the case against mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, Ladapo more recently has offered cautions about flu and measles shots.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


2 comments

  • Michael K

    March 15, 2025 at 3:39 pm

    Sounds like buyers remorse.

    Last report I read indicated Lapado does not show up at UF yet he pulls some $600k annual grift (salary +). He’s peddling bad science. Other reports indicate the DeSanti fully vaccinated their own kids. In other words, the governor is willing to risk other lives and health just to throw red meat to the MAGA hats.

    Reply

  • KathrynA

    March 15, 2025 at 3:50 pm

    I guess he’d fit in right with all the others spewing out false information and getting rid of great scientific research and vaccines and so much more and now, getting rid of health care for millions. They care so much for those who are middle class and below! So sad and despicable!

    Reply

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