Florida GOP Files Complaint After Candidate Denied Entry to Televised Debate Over Vaccination Status
Florida GOP on Thursday filed a complaint asking the state’s health department to take action after a Central Florida TV station denied a Republican congressional candidate entry to a TV studio and canceled a political debate over his vaccination status.
“The decision by WESH-2 News to cancel the Congressional District 9 debate because of a candidate’s vaccination status is discriminatory, unlawful, and will not be ignored,” Florida GOP said in a statement.
WESH-2 released a statement on the day the debate was canceled confirming that it denied entry to Republican district nine candidate Scotty Moore based on its “debate rules and vaccine requirements.”
Benjamin J. Gibson, a lawyer for Florida GOP, says this is in violation of section 381.00316 of the Florida Statutes, which states, in part, that a business entity “may not require patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination.”
“We ask that you immediately investigate WESH-2’s COVID policy, and if it is found to be in violation of Florida law, take appropriate action,” Gibson said in a letter to Florida Department of Health General Counsel John Wilson (pdf).
The Republican candidate for Florida’s district nine and his opponent were invited by WESH-2, a local television station located in Central Florida and owned by Hearst Television, to take part in a congressional candidate debate at its Winter Park television studios to take place on Sept. 8.
“As part of our commitment to election coverage, WESH 2 has hosted a debate series during the primary and general election cycles for years,” WESH-2 said in a statement on Sept. 8.
Debate Cancelled Over Vaccination Status
Days after inviting the candidates, WESH-2 provided Moore’s campaign with its parent company’s COVID-19 vaccination policy, according to Gibson.
“On September 8, Mr. Moore and his campaign staff arrived at the WESH-2 Winter Park television studios. Employees of
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