Update on American Oversight’s Public Records Lawsuit Against Florida Gov. DeSantis

On Friday, American Oversight filed a motion to compel Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office to produce documents in the organization’s public records lawsuit.

American Oversight’s lawsuit, filed in February, alleges that DeSantis’ office has engaged in a persistent pattern or practice of failing to comply with Florida’s public records law. The requests seek a range of documents, including communications with certain corporations, lobbyists, or right-wing groups regarding abortion restrictions and education, among other topics.

Friday’s motion asks the court to order the office to respond fully to American Oversight’s document requests and interrogatories in the case so far.

At time of filing the lawsuit in February, each of the requests at issue in the lawsuit 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.

In April, as part of the case’s discovery phase, American Oversight issued a request for production of documents and interrogatories, seeking, among other things:

• documents reflecting any communications, processing notes, and status entries about American Oversight’s public records requests;
• documents showing budgets or resources available to DeSantis’ office, including the Office of Open Government; and
• documents showing the total number of public records requests received by DeSantis’ office, including how the requests are tracked.

Despite promising to provide information, the office ultimately failed to provide adequate responses to American Oversight’s discovery requests, leading American Oversight to seek a court order. The motion to compel asks the court to reject the office’s excuses for not responding fully to our document requests and interrogatories, and to order his office to provide the information that American Oversight is entitled to within 14 days.

American Oversight will seek a court hearing in October on its motion to compel.