Florida settles lawsuit over COVID data, agrees to provide weekly stats to the public

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida will provide COVID-19 data to the public again after a former Democratic state representative settled a lawsuit with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration over the decision two years ago to stop sharing information on the virus’ spread online. Then-Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith sued after the Department of Health denied his public records request for COVID-19 data in 2021. He was joined by the Florida Center for Government Accountability. Smith says the settlement requires the department to provide COVID-19 data to the public for the next three years. The Department of Health has admitted no wrongdoing and says it has always provided the data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.