Florida Department of Health

A hearing that began Monday is slated to run through mid-February. The new licenses are required under a 2017 law that called for boosting the number of licenses as the number of eligible patients increases.

The health system expects to hire people this fall who will provide information about how to access lactation support and nutrition counseling as well as car seat installation training and stress management.

As lawmakers prepare legislation to roll back mandates, the surgeon general has floated going one step further: banning mRNA vaccines. Medical experts say that would have public health implications.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo recommends discussing options with providers. The FDA, ADA and other organizations say the compound is safe except for high-risk groups.

On a social media post, Dr. Joseph Ladapo wrote that he supports the consumption of raw milk to reap what he calls "potential health benefits," but cautions consumers about the risks.

Among more than 20 pediatricians contacted, only one agreed to speak on the record about the risks of measles and the importance of childhood vaccination. Others declined, citing a range of concerns.

Prosecutors accused a South Florida doctor and pharmacists of selling millions of pills illegally for years. WLRN tried to figure out why the state's pill mill laws did not flag issues sooner.

There have been five deaths in Florida attributed to the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria this year. Since mid-July, the state has recorded five additional cases for a total of 16 this year.

The state health department says the illnesses — caused by Campylobacter and STEC bacteria — are linked to milk from a farm with poor sanitation practices.

Dr. Joseph Ladapo also praised the federal government's decision in May to no longer recommend COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo praised the federal move as vindication of the state’s early and controversial decisions to push back against mRNA vaccine use.

The case centered on sanitation certificates that county health departments, which are overseen by the state Department of Health, issue to establishments.