It is up to us to turn the lights back on in The Sunshine State

Florida is going dark and it is up to us to turn the lights back on. It’s time for lawmakers and citizens alike to push back hard against Governor Ron DeSantis for obstructing government transparency. Do not keep Florida “in the dark” any longer.

There was a time when Florida set the gold standard for open government. Our Sunshine laws were the envy of the nation, a model for accountability, transparency and public access to information about what our government gets up to.

”Those days are over,” a spokesperson for the state’s open government advocate The First Amendment Foundation told Historic City News today. “Florida is sliding into secrecy at an alarming pace, and the blame rests squarely with Governor DeSantis and the state agencies following his lead.

This obstruction isn’t just a nuisance — it’s illegal. Chapter 119 of Florida Statutes requires public officials to provide requested records in a timely manner. But under DeSantis, delays have stretched from months to more than a year. In some cases, records are outright withheld without explanation. Court cases challenging these violations are piling up, and judges are starting to call out the administration’s blatant disregard for the law.

Public records laws in Florida aren’t suggestions; they’re enshrined in law, designed to ensure that the people know what their government is doing in their name. But DeSantis’ office has decided that compliance is optional. Delay, deny or ignore — that’s the new standard operating procedure for the Executive Office of the Governor. The message is clear: If you want access to records that you’re legally entitled to, you’ll have to sue us.

This isn’t a partisan issue. Transparency is a fundamental principle of good government, whether you lean left, right or somewhere in between. Every Floridian, regardless of politics, deserves to know how their tax dollars are spent, how decisions are made, and what their leaders are doing behind closed doors.

And it’s not just the governor’s office. State agencies, local governments, and even law enforcement are taking their cues from the top, making public records harder to access by citizens, lawyers, and the private sector. The result? A 2024 study from the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida confirms what we already knew: Access to public information in Florida is deteriorating fast. Florida now ranks at number 31, the bottom half of U.S. states when it comes to compliance with public records requests.

The hypocrisy would be laughable if it weren’t so dangerous. After the recent assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Trump at a golf course near Mar-a-Lago, DeSantis contended that Florida should lead the investigation in part because our records laws would enable the public to request information about it. This, from the same governor whose office has repeatedly hidden public records, fought lawsuits and even claimed an “executive privilege” that does not exist under Florida law.

It’s time for lawmakers and citizens alike to push back — hard. The Florida Legislature needs to hold oversight hearings. The courts need to continue striking down these blatant violations of the law. And the public needs to demand better, because when transparency dies, corruption flourishes.

---

Historic City News in St Augustine is proud to support The First Amendment Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 1985 to protect and advance the rights of free expression, protest and the press, as well as to promote open government and access to public records. For more information about the organization, please visit www.floridafaf.org