Published by the Florida Center for Government Accountability
Lawsuit accusing Florida of withholding COVID-19 data at height of pandemic moves forward
Orlando Weekly, October 22, 2021
A Leon County circuit judge has scheduled a two-day hearing next month in a lawsuit alleging the Florida Department of Health has violated public-records laws by refusing to provide detailed data about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Judge John Cooper issued an order this week scheduling the hearing on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10. State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, and the Florida Center for Government Accountability filed the lawsuit in August after the Department of Health rebuffed requests for daily information about COVID-19 cases, positivity rates, hospitalizations, deaths and vaccinations.
