Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' Cabinet agreed this week to provide all documents related to the flights of illegal migrants into Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Politico reported.
The Republican governor's legal team pushed back against a request to immediately unveil DeSantis chief of staff James Uthmeier's records and all communications between Florida and Texas officials, agreeing instead to publicize them by Dec. 1.
It comes after a state judge ruled that DeSantis had until this week to respond to the Florida Center for Government Accountability's (FLCGA's) lawsuit seeking records on two flights carrying nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants to Massachusetts.
The Florida Center for Government Accountability "has no right to leap ahead of other requesters to have its requests satisfied at breakneck speed just because it may have the resources and wherewithal to engage in litigation," Florida assistant general counsel Andrew King wrote.
DeSantis' lawyers argue that looking for state records can take an extensive period of time, especially after Hurricane Ian devastating the coast of southwest Florida.
"Many requesters seek records from the governor's senior staff, and they have primary responsibilities that include time-sensitive tasks on matters of great importance to the state," the filing read, adding that "they cannot drop everything they are doing to dedicate uninterrupted hours or days to search for responsive records."
DeSantis' office ensured that it continues to hand over a limited number of records on the flights, precisely a batch last Friday that included new information on Uthmeier and Florida public safety czar Larry Keefe's involvement.
However, FLCGA's Michael Barfield said Wednesday that the group is growing impatient with the Florida government stalling the document release.
"Everyone in the line has been complaining loudly about the delays but it has fallen on deaf ears," Barfield told Politico. "The center decided to stop complaining and ask a judge to intervene."
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