DeSantis made his intentions known during the Unite and Win Rally in Pittsburgh, last Aug. 19. He lambasted COVID-19 mandates at the gathering held in support of gubernatorial candidate and State Sen. Doug Mastriano.

"Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now admitting, 'no reason to treat [vaccinated] or [unvaccinated] any differently.' Well, guess what that means? Every single mandate that the federal government [and] any of the states [are] doing must be removed. It's wrong," said the governor.

"And if anybody was forced into doing this and ended up with an adverse reaction, they should be able to sue over that," he added. DeSantis insinuated that both vaccine manufacturers and the federal government will be liable if his proposal does get some serious consideration.

DeSantis' comments came days after the CDC updated its COVID-19 guidance. The public health agency rescinded several recommendations such as physical distancing and quarantine for those exposed to a COVID-positive individual.