Florida judge latest to block Biden contractor vaccine rule

TAMPA, Fla (AP) — A federal judge in Florida has blocked President Joe Biden’s requirement for federal contractors to receive coronavirus vaccines, adding to a series of legal setbacks for the mandate. U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday on Wednesday wrote that Florida’s lawsuit against the rule demonstrated a “substantial likelihood” that the White House did not have authority to set the requirement. The preliminary injunction in Florida comes after a federal judge in Georgia this month had already blocked enforcement of the rule nationwide. Judges in Missouri and Kentucky have issued similar rulings. The decision marks the one of the latest victories for Republican-led states challenging Biden’s vaccine mandates.