TALLAHASSEE – An open up-governing administration team has submitted a lawsuit seeking to force Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to release more documents about a controversial conclusion final thirty day period to fly migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
The Florida Heart for Govt Accountability filed the lawsuit Monday in Leon County circuit court docket and alleged that the governor’s business did not comply with requests to release a collection of information about the flights.
Between other issues, the group sought documents, cell phone logs or textual content logs that could show communications by DeSantis’ Main of Team James Uthmeier about the flights, according to the lawsuit. Also, it sought any records that would exhibit communications with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s business about relocating migrants.
The lawsuit reported the DeSantis administration provided records Friday but that they have been not “responsive” to requests designed Sept. 20 and Sept. 21 underneath Florida’s community-documents regulation.
“None of the data created by defendants are documents despatched or obtained by the EOG (Government Business office of the Governor) or governor,” the lawsuit, submitted by Sarasota attorney Andrea Flynn Mogensen and Tampa attorney Matthew Farmer, reported. “None of the documents are inside of the timeframe of information sought in the to start with or 2nd requests.”
The lawsuit claimed the DeSantis administration supplied records that experienced been “sent to or obtained from one more agency.” It did not detail those documents, but the administration launched documents Friday to the Miami Herald and other news companies involving the Florida Division of Transportation, which helped carry out the flights.
In an electronic mail connected to the lawsuit, the governor’s office environment explained the documents unveiled Friday as the “initially generation” of documents.
“The Office of Open up Federal government (in the governor’s business) has been operating to retrieve, critique and make files responsive to the quite a few public data requests we have received about the flights to Martha’s Winery,” the electronic mail from the office reported. “In an energy to develop files more efficiently, this office environment is retrieving, examining and developing any documents associated to the aforementioned flights.”
The two flights of migrants drew countrywide attention and came as DeSantis on a regular basis criticizes the Biden administration on border plan and the dealing with of undocumented immigrants. DeSantis and other Republicans also have seriously criticized “sanctuary” communities, this kind of as Martha’s Vineyard.
The flights of about 50 folks, mostly Venezuelans, started off in San Antonio, Texas, stopped at an airport in the Northwest Florida neighborhood of Crestview and then headed north to Martha’s Winery. The DeSantis administration tapped into $12 million that the Legislature presented to transport undocumented immigrants from Florida – although portion of the controversy has centered on the migrant flights originating in Texas.
Sen. Jason Pizzo has filed a lawsuit in Leon County circuit court, alleging the DeSantis administration violated the point out Constitution and a different regulation. Meanwhile, legal professionals representing some asylum seekers flown to Massachusetts submitted a potential class-action lawsuit towards DeSantis, Division of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue and unknown individuals who served recruit the immigrants in Texas.
