Florida Republicans undermine state's public records laws again

[Zorro]

They don’t want Florida residents to know what the governor is up to or who is visiting him at the governor’s mansion.

If you believe his Republican colleagues in the Florida Legislature, the only way to adequately protect Gov. Ron DeSantis as he gears up for an apparent presidential run is to tear up the state’s public records laws.

Without citing any threats past or present, the lawmakers want to bar any request for records that could show where the governor is traveling, regardless of who he’s with, why he’s traveling or if the public is paying for it. In an interesting twist, they have decided to make the unprecedented ban retroactive, presumably to protect the governor from enemies with time machines.

And the lawmakers just added a wrinkle that makes the bill even more unfortunate: a provision that would prevent the public from learning who outside of government has been visiting the governor’s mansion. You know, people like big-money donors and others who might be seeking political favors. Nothing to worry about there.

No other Florida governor saw a need to blow such a large hole in the state’s public records laws. Not Republicans like Jeb Bush or Bob Martinez, or Democrats like Bob Graham, Lawton Chiles or Reubin Askew. Some of them also had presidential or vice-presidential ambitions, but they at least paid lip service to the “public” part of public servant. Not DeSantis. Too often, he appears only to understand the concept of political power.

https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2023/04/21/florida-republicans-drive-truck-bomb-into-states-public-records-laws-editorial/

[OldBaldy1701E]

1. I am curious how they plan to stop people

From just watching who arrives at the mansion. It is not difficult to get a small discreet camera and video everyone entering and leaving the place. Just how are they going to stop this? Besides being even more fascist-like?