A Leon County circuit judge Friday began hearing testimony in a lawsuit alleging the Florida Department of Transportation did not properly comply with public-records requests after state-funded flights of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Judge Angela Dempsey listened to testimony from two witnesses for the Florida Center for Government Accountability, which filed the lawsuit in October against the department and a state contractor, Vertol Systems Company, Inc.
Dempsey indicated she likely will resume hearing testimony the week of Nov. 28.
The Florida Center for Government Accountability made public-records requests Sept. 21 and Sept. 22, after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration flew about 50 migrants from Texas to Massachusetts, with a stop in Crestview in Northwest Florida.
Another Leon County circuit judge, J. Lee Marsh, ruled Oct. 25 in a separate lawsuit that the DeSantis administration did not comply with the state’s public-records law after the open-government group made requests. The administration has appealed that ruling.
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