Lawsuit Claims DeSantis Withheld Records Related to Migrant Flights

A recently-filed lawsuit on Monday by a Florida open-government group claims that Gov. Ron DeSantis allegedly withheld records related to migrant flights that traveled to Martha's Vineyard.

The lawsuit, the third brought against the Republican lawmaker's office, compels the official's administration to release records regarding the flights that originated from Texas. There are two flights in question that carried roughly 50 Venezuelan migrants to the Massachusetts island last month.

Migrant Flights

The lawsuit alleges that the governor's office failed to comply with requests to release details including flight records and that DeSantis' administration was withholding information on the matter. Last Friday, the Republican's office released some details on the flights but the group said that it was not responsive to some requests.

The Florida Center for Government Accountability (FLCGA), which filed the lawsuit, is seeking communication records involving DeSantis' Chief of Staff James Ithmeier, details about the flights, waivers signed by the undocumented migrants carried by the flights, and any information on exchanges with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office about the relocation of the individuals, as per Axios.

The lawsuit said that the defendant's refusal to provide the requested records is unreasonable, and unjustified, and amounts to an unlawful delay and refusal to grant the requests. In an email, DeSantis' office said that the information released on Friday is the "first production" of records.

The email noted that the governor's office was working to retrieve, review, and produce documents responsive to the many public records requests that they have received regarding the flights to Martha's Vineyard.

According to Politico, the lawsuit comes as Florida has a well-regarded open records law that is enshrined in the state constitution that mandates local and government agencies to turn over government records. However, there are no concrete requirements for when the records must be turned over.

Unreleased Records

The lawsuit, which was filed in circuit court in Tallahassee, states that no public records law exemption applies that would prevent the inspection or copying of the records sought by the plaintiff. It adds that the defendant has not asserted any such exemption regarding the matter.

The documents that DeSantis' office did release showed that the Department of Transportation guidelines for the relocation program said that vendors hired by the state would help relocate the "unauthorized aliens who are found in Florida and have agreed to be relocated to another state in the United States or the District of Columbia."

However, the migrants were flown from San Antonio, which has sparked an investigation by a sheriff in Texas. Furthermore, last month, a Democratic state senator filed a lawsuit that urged a judge to block the Florida governor from spending any more money on the relocation program, which was given a budget of $12 million.

Vertol Systems Company was paid $615,000 for the September flights, but the governor's office previously declined to confirm that the payment was linked to the flights that landed in Martha's Vineyard.

At the time of Florida's request for contractors, DeSantis was publicly claiming that President Joe Biden is capable of sending buses of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to Florida. However, last month, the Republican acknowledged that those buses never arrived and his focus began to shift to other priorities, CNN reported.