public records

Nearly two years since the Department of Juvenile Justice received a records request from the Florida Phoenix, it remains unfulfilled. Despite fulfilling a nearly identical request in 2024 within three months, the department has not provided a reason for the nearly two-year delay on the follow-up request, or an estimated time it may be completed.

In 2014, Michael Barfield sued the City of Sarasota after officials refused to hand over public records they said were under federal control. He told WUSF it's the same argument being made now by ICE directives.

This year there are roughly 40 proposals before the Florida Legislature seeking to create exemptions to public records. Historically, the state has been considered a national leader in making its system of government accessible to its citizens — but no more. Open government advocates are dismayed by the many new attempts at whittling down the state's transparency.

An appeals court upheld the denial of a public-records request for Gov. Ron DeSantis but did not weigh in on the issue of executive privilege.

In a case that has drawn attention from media organizations and open-government advocates, state lawyers late Monday urged an appeals court to uphold a ruling that said “executive privilege” shields Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration from releasing records.

Travel records involving Gov. Ron DeSantis and his family would be shielded from public disclosure under a proposal moving forward in the Senate and the House.

The nonprofit, American Oversight, is requesting records involving communication between state and federal education officials, outside groups, and the office of Gov. DeSantis.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has filed a lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not complied with a public-records request about the state’s proposed program to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.

A 1992 law called for all records surrounding the assassination to be made public, but the National Archives says it needs more time to review the files to ensure their release wouldn't cause harm.

A measure that would create a public records exemption for university presidential candidates failed in the Florida Senate Tuesday. Since the measure would have changed the state’s public record laws, it needed a two-thirds majority vote to pass.

At issue is a California law that requires tax-exempt charities to file with the state a list of their large donors — a copy, in fact, of the list they file annually with the IRS.

Florida’s Sunshine laws often get held up as a model for a transparent government but public records requests can lead to bills in the tens of thousands of dollars. Some attorneys say it's time to waive public records fees in Florida for public interest groups.