Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings ordered all county workers to get vaccinated by the end of September. Battalion Chief Davis already had decided not to get the vaccine and he knew he wasn't alone.
Five months ago, an Orange County firefighter became the face of the fight against vaccine mandates. Battalion Chief Stephen Davis came under scrutiny for not writing up firefighters who refused the COVID-19 vaccine mandated by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. His supervisors told him his job was on the line. For the first time in his life, he was fired.
said mr. davis was terminated on grounds to failure to follow a direct order. insubordination result issue disciplinary action on october 5th, 2021. what s your reaction to their reaction? you know, you have political leaders making policy decisions based on political optics with no regard for what it means for the rank and file and their management of their communities. this will be devastating. you will see i have a kansas cities in public safety ranks that will have a direct effect on communities. not to mention it is unlawful. it sun lawful against florida law to have a vaccine mandate. so i have taken action in court. i have stood up beside these firefighters and said you cannot do this. it s illegal. it makes no sense and it s reckless for the communities of florida. brian: just so good to see somebody fighting for workers. the president feels the exact opposite of you. listen to him. police officers, emergency
brian: florida governor ron desantis defending fired battalion chief davis after he was fired for refusing to discipline employees who didn t comply with the county s covid vaccine mandate. i think the firing was totally inappropriate. i think it s ridiculous. and these are people that have served our communities. they re being tossed aside. it is illegal to do it. there is going to be response. i think ultimately he will prevail. brian: a governor that doesn t want to fire people. people under him firing people. davis had been with orange county fire and rescue since 2007. he joins us now with florida attorney general ashley moody. welcome to both of you. steven, for you, what exactly happened? good morning brian. yes, so is was terminated a few days ago i was trying to tell them that what they were doing, i was supposed to write people up and it was unlawful is