DCF Faces Public Records Lawsuit

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More than a year after it requested public records related to problems with a government-assistance platform, an Orlando television station this week filed a lawsuit alleging the Florida Department of Children and Families has violated state law by not providing the records. WFTV and reporter Sabrina Maggiore filed the lawsuit in Leon County circuit court. The lawsuit said the station and Maggiore made a public-records request on Feb. 5, 2024, about the department’s MyAccess online portal, which residents can use to apply for benefits. The lawsuit said the portal was launched in December 2023 and had technical problems. The records request sought emails to or from DCF Secretary Shevaun Harris about the platform. The lawsuit said the station has not received the records, including after paying $177 to the agency in August for processing costs. “It has now been over a year since plaintiffs submitted their public records request to DCF and more than five months since DCF received payment for the request,” the lawsuit said. “An enormous amount of time and effort has been invested in obtaining these public records providing information about the failures of DCF’s MyAccess portal. Still, DCF has released no records.” Gov. Ron DeSantis this week named Harris as the new secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.