MIAMI (AP) — Florida will have to return information about COVID-19 to the public after a former Democratic state representative settled a lawsuit with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration over the two-year-old ruling to prevent the release of data on the spread of the virus. online viruses.
Carlos Guillermo Smith filed a lawsuit after the Department of Health rejected his request for public records of knowledge of COVID-19 in 2021 and announced the settlement on Monday. It was incorporated through the Florida Center for Government Accountability.
The regulation requires the branch to provide the public with information about COVID-19 for the next 3 years, adding weekly statistics on cases, deaths and vaccinations by county, age group, gender and race, Smith said in a press release. You will also have to pay more than $152,000 in legal fees to cover plaintiffs’ legal fees.
“All Floridians have a constitutional right to public records and the right to obtain critical public health information in a timely manner,” Smith said. “The branch lied in court about the way of life of those public records and did everything possible to limit data and minimize the risk of COVID. “
Florida halted daily COVID-19 updates on its online panel in June 2021, leading to a reduction in cases and an increase in vaccinations. Several states followed suit.
The Health Department has not declared any wrongdoing under the agreement and said it has provided the knowledge to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Department spokesman Jae Williams III criticized Smith and the Florida Center for Government Accountability in an email, saying the lawsuit was a political stunt.
“It is unfortunate that government resources continue to be wasted discussing the format of knowledge with salon epidemiologists who have no education or experience,” Williams said.