The ‘medical freedom’ movement of years past seems to be on the way out.
By Nic Steinig
Original Air Date: June 19, 2026
Host: For most voters, the Sarasota Public Hospital Board is an afterthought, buried down-ballot. But in 2024, the board that oversees Sarasota Memorial Hospital made headlines when “medical freedom” candidates were on the verge of taking control of the hospital. Long story short: Two years ago, Sarasota voters delivered a complete defeat for the slate of anti-vaccine and anti-mask candidates. But now, five of the board’s nine seats are up for election again. WSLR reporter Nic Steinig has the details.
Nic Steinig: Back in 2022 and 2024, the usually quiet and overlooked Sarasota County Hospital Board elections garnered broad public interest and national attention as the race became a lightning rod for hashing out contentious political and cultural divisions over COVID-19 government policies and the broader healthcare system’s response to the pandemic.
This year, with pandemic-era cultural politics beginning to wane as other issues take center stage in the public consciousness, the local Hospital Board election seems to have slowed to its usual pace.
Brad Baker
Of the five seats up for grabs this year, four will be default contests with only one candidate and no qualifying opponent. That means there will only be one Hospital Board seat up for a vote on August 18: the race for Northern District Seat 1 between incumbent Brad Baker and challenger Bill Woeltjen. Neither candidate nor any of the incoming default-win members is running on the “health freedom” platform this year.
In 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis championed a legislative push for “medical freedom,” signing into law in 2023 a slate of bills that prohibited business and governmental entities from requiring individuals to provide proof of vaccination to retain employment or access services.
That same political momentum was also present at the local level when, in 2022, a slate of four “health freedom” candidates created a joint website promoting a platform to “restore the confidence lost in the Sarasota Memorial Hospital System by actually fixing it.” Chief among their complaints was what they called the serious mistreatment of patients caused by the protocol used to treat COVID-19, with some aggrieved members of the public providing testimony at board meetings.
The hospital denied that characterization, with Sarasota Memorial Hospital public relations director Kim Savage stating, “Our team has worked with dedication and diligence throughout this pandemic to provide the very best care to all of our patients.”
In 2024, all the health freedom candidates were defeated by conventional Republican candidates. That brings us to today, where it seems the local movement has petered out. Of the original three health freedom candidates, two will remain on the board for the next four years, as they were unopposed. The third, Vic Rohe, is surrendering his seat to focus instead on his senatorial campaign for District 22, Sarasota Senator Joe Gruters’ current office. Yet, no additional candidates were fielded.
As for the seat that is up for grabs this year, both candidates have stated a preference for keeping Sarasota Memorial Hospital public. Baker was first elected in 2022, and his website highlights his previous governmental appointments under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. It also emphasized his vote in favor of building new state-of-the-art hospitals in Venice and North Port.
WSLR spoke with his challenger Woeltjen by phone, and when asked what differentiates him from incumbent Baker, this is what he said:
Bill Woeltjen
Bill Woeltjen: My experience in healthcare—Brad’s been in government and in various roles, really hasn’t had in his background a healthcare focus—I have been a senior health care leader since 1990, all in the not-for-profit healthcare arena, and I really have a passion for health care—the patients and good outcomes.
NS: According to their financial disclosure documents, both candidates hold stock in Pfizer Corporation, the biopharmaceutical giant.
When asked whether this could be considered a conflict of interest, Woeltjen responded as follows.
BW: I think that’s nonsense. Pfizer is a multinational company with billions of dollars of market value. My small holding is a mere drop of their shares outstanding. The reason I have those shares is because my father used to work for Pfizer in the ‘60s, ‘70s and early ‘80s. I have those shares from him. Any decision that I could make as a board member for Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System would not move the dial in any way, shape or form for Pfizer’s financial well-being and stock price. To think that it’s a conflict of interest is nonsense.
NS: Woeltjen does not consider himself a health freedom candidate, and he says so in no uncertain terms.
BW: I do not consider myself on the medical freedom side of the coin. I very much appreciate how, in earlier years, the board did not come in with a special agenda. The group came in in 2022, during the COVID time, and they challenged the quality of the patient care provided in an organization that came through COVID with flying colors in patient care and quality, and all of that while opening a cancer tower and opening a new hospital in Venice. To challenge that type of success when the patient care was excellent bothered me, to be honest with you.
NS: Woeltjen then had this to say about why he chose to run:
BW: I’m semi-retired now and just want to continue to contribute to the healthcare of the community through leadership in the board role.
NS: The two candidates appear to be promoting similar priorities for their actions in office. The choice between them will come down to personal preference. So far, Woeltjen has raised around $18,000 in donations, mostly from individual retirees. Baker has yet to raise any funds but could coast on his incumbent status.
WSLR reached out to Baker by email and phone but did not receive a response.
Reporting for WSLR News, Nic Steinig.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.