CLEARWATER, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling for a special legislative session to pass laws against COVID-19 related mandates. 

At a news conference in Clearwater on Thursday, DeSantis said that while the federal government continues to try to force vaccinations, he believes the decision should be solely with individuals. 

He said action is needed to protect Florida workers and jobs threatened by not receiving vaccinations.

“Right to earn a living should not be contingent on COVID shots," he said. 

DeSantis said he needs the Florida Legislature to fight the federal contractor mandate, which he claims is putting thousands of jobs in jeopardy. 

Among the bills he wants the legislature to take up, DeSantis wants to make anyone fired for refusing to get vaccinated eligible for unemployment benefits. He also wants to strip companies of their COVID-19 liability protections when they fire someone for vaccine refusal, as well as holding businesses liable for adverse reactions to vaccines. 

He also wants a law making it clear that governments cannot force employees to get vaccinated.

Fired Orange County battalion chief gets support from DeSantis

Fired Orange County Fire Rescue battalion chief Stephen Davis played a central role in the governor's announcement Thursday, speaking side-by-side with DeSantis at his news conference.

Davis was fired for disobeying a direct order to reprimand other firefighters for not complying with the county's employee vaccine mandate. Davis said he knew several firefighters were either vaccinated or had a religious exemption, and that is why he did not reprimand them.

“I thought I was standing up and I thought I was going to be able to make a difference, and be able to stand up and say, ‘Hey look we’re making a mistake,'" Davis said. “I said this is just disappointing because I expected more from my leadership.”

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings believes the county's vaccine mandate is in line with state law and said that 88% of the fire department has complied so far.

He even said he believes that Orange County’s state of emergency will be lifted next week because its COVID-19 positivity rate has been below 5% percent for 10 consecutive days.

The order to reprimand unvaccinated workers stems from Orange County’s vaccine mandate for employees, which county leaders say is meant to protect them and the people they serve.

Davis said losing his job has cost him and his family.

“Healthcare, we’ve lost that," he said. "I’ve got to worry about what I put into my retirement. I’ve lost a bunch of sick and vacation time that added up to almost a year."

But he said it's worth it, and he was even more buoyed after getting a lot of strong support from DeSantis and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

“I am proud to say today that we have taken action in Orange County to stand up for those first responders, and we have filed a brief in court to proudly stand with you,” Moody told Davis at the press conference. 

DeSantis also seeks bill to hold school districts accountable for disobeying mandate ban

Other provisions that DeSantis wants include additional protections to hold school districts accountable if they don't follow the executive order banning mask mandates.

DeSantis said his administration would work to pinpoint a November date on a special session.

Whether DeSantis has the votes to enact any of these issues is unclear, and the legislature is under no obligation to pass anything he wants. 

In a new memo, Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls said: "We have not received the dates or details regarding any proposed call."

Later in the day, Florida Legislature's Republican leadership said they would review the governor's proposals.