A judge ruled that the New York Times, Washington Post and the Associated Press and other news outlets could join a lawsuit against Florida to obtain information about the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Health claims the information was confidential and only exempt when the department determined it is. The judge noted the information was curtailed just as the pandemic reached records levels in the state. (Orlando Weekly, September 21, 2021, by Alex Galbraith)
Democratic state senator Carlos Smith brought the lawsuit seeking records denied to him on vaccination rates and the age, sex, ethnic and racial identities of those with Covid-19. (Florida Politics, September 15, 2021, by Jesse Scheckner)