As the proliferation of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards grows, legislation has been filed in Tallahassee to create a third-degree felony for producing, forging or possessing a fraudulent card.

Such a penalty carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $5,000 fine and five years' probation. Federal law currently carries similar penalties, though a state-level prohibition on fake vaccine cards would empower local law enforcement and prosecutors to arrest and charge bad actors.

Dr. Howard Kessler, a founding member of Florida Physicians for Social Responsibility, called the new legislation (HB 47) an appropriate response to a growing problem.

"To have people gaming a system for their own selfish needs is just beyond the pale," he said in an interview. "It should not be allowed to happen, and that's why we need laws to prevent that from happening or to punish the people that break the law."

"I don't know many people that would want to be locked up for five years and think they had a good deal because they got away with using their false vaccination card once."

The measure has been filed by Rep. Michael Grieco, a Miami Beach Democrat. It remains to be seen if it will gain traction in a Republican-controlled legislature that earlier this year passed a ban on so-called 'vaccine passports'.

Fraudulent vaccination cards have become increasingly common as the pandemic has worn on, with federal authorities confiscating thousands of cards intended for distribution. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Senate's majority leader, recently called on authorities to step up their game.

"Is this an epidemic right now? No. Could it become one? Absolutely, if the authorities do nothing about it," Schumer said during a press conference.