We can’t really be surprised there is now a measles outbreak in Florida, can we?
As less children are immunized against the deadly disease that was declared eliminated 25 years ago, the number of cases in several states is rising and Florida is no exception. We are currently have the third-highest number of cases in the country.
As of Friday morning, the Florida Department of Health, reported 132 cases in the Sunshine State. Miost of those cases are in Collier County with confirmed cases in Osceola, Pasco and Pinellas counties. All of them were older than 20 years old, the FDOH said. (Scroll down for the county-by-county breakdown.)
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 90% of those who have contracted measles in recent years were unvaccinated.
For 2025, more than 2,000 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Feb. 19, 2026, nearly 1,000 confirmed measles cases already have been reported since the new year.
Last year, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo compared mandatory vaccines for children entering school to slavery. He has vowed to eliminate vaccines required of children to attend public school. There are presently two bills making their way through the Florida Legislature that would make it easier for parents to opt out of vaccinating their children.
That seems like upside down thinking to me. Has common sense been tossed aside? If we eliminate seat belt laws, we can expect to see more fatal crashes, right? Anyway, I’d like to know what you think. And that brings us to the Question of the Week.
Should the measles vaccine be optional for children?
You can scan the QR code that is on the print edition page or go to https://www.floridatoday.com/opinions-columns/. Please leave a comment telling us why you voted the way you did. In order for your comment or email to be published on our website and in next week’s print edition, you must include your first and last name and please include your town/city of residence in the body of your comment. You can also shoot me an email with “Measles” in the subject line. I look forward to reading your responses.
Contact Torres at jtorres@floridatoday.com. You can follow him on X @johnalbertorres. Florida video editor Rob Landers contributed to this report.Support local journalism and become a subscriber. Visit floridatoday.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Measles returns as Florida vaccination drops