American Oversight v. Gov. DeSantis — Delay in Release of Public Records
May 13, 2024
American Oversight Amends Lawsuit Against DeSantis to Include New Requests for Public Records
American Oversight sued Florida Gov. DeSantis’ office in February, alleging the office has engaged in unjustified and unlawful delay in responding to records requests.
On Monday, American Oversight amended its ongoing lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, adding three additional public records requests that have gone unanswered.
The three additional requests seek:
- communications between former Senior Adviser for Public Safety Larry Keefe and a list of certain individuals and and entities, including companies selected to execute the next phase of the DeSantis administration’s migrant relocation program;
- communications related to former State Attorneys Monique Worrell and Andrew Warren as well as records reflecting guidance about the suspension of any Florida state attorneys; and
- a handwritten log of public records requests submitted by executive branch agencies.
American Oversight initially filed its lawsuit against DeSantis’ office in February, alleging it has engaged in a pattern or practice of failing to properly respond to public records requests in violation of state law. Each of the requests at issue in the original complaint had been pending for at least 11 months, some for as long as two or three years — an “unjustified and unlawful delay” representative of the DeSantis administration’s lack of transparency.