DeSantis’ travel records may be concealed ahead of likely president run – Tallahassee Democrat

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TALLAHASSEE — As Gov. Ron DeSantis travels the nation before an expected presidential campaign announcement later this spring, Florida lawmakers are pushing forward legislation that would conceal his travel records.

House and Senate bills that would create public records exemptions for records held by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement related to “security or transportation services” passed their last committees Tuesday. Next stop: the chamber floors. FDLE provides and coordinates security and travel for the governor, his family and other state officials.

DeSantis’ travel has been met with intense interest in recent months, especially following the release of his book, “The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival.” Political observers have called it a political tome for 2024 voters. DeSantis has traveled the country, visiting important battleground states — with plans to visit even more.

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DeSantis also has his eyes overseas, with expected upcoming visits to Israel, South Korea and Japan.

Former President Donald Trump, the leading GOP presidential candidate, has blasted this as “taxpayer-funded globetrotting.” While the governor’s office didn’t respond to a media request, a spokesperson recently told the Washington Examiner that the state “does not coordinate or plan political travel, nor does the taxpayer fund political travel.”

Rep. Jeff Holcomb, R-Spring Hill, the House legislation sponsor, and other proponents of the legislation say it’s about security and protection.

The bill doesn’t impact financial disclosure of the trips, Holcomb said. “This is about the methods and means of the security protections.”

Dana Kelly, an FDLE spokesperson, said the department supports the legislation.

“The threat picture has changed significantly over the last decade with violence and attempted violence against elected and appointed officials nationally,” she said in an emailed statement. “Releasing Protective Operations details represents a risk not only to those we protect, but also FDLE agents and citizens attending events.”

On Tuesday, Rep. Mike Gottlieb, D-Davie, questioned why, if it was about security, it applied to past travel records. Gottlieb filed an amendment that kept the security exemptions in place but removed those for such records. It didn’t pass.

“That information could then, with enough digging, with enough time, with enough effort, might be able to get the security profile of that structure or that incident or that building,” Holcomb said.

That bill passed by a party-line vote, with Democrats dissenting.

“Do you think taxpayers have a right to know where that money is being spent?” asked Rep. Yvonne Hinson, D-Gainesville.

Travel bill also exempts records on visitors to governor’s mansion

The Senate version of the bill, SB 1616, passed its last committee Tuesday morning, followed by the House bill, HB 1495, in the afternoon. Lawmakers also approved amendments during both meetings that exempt records about who makes unofficial visits to the governor’s mansion.

“We all understand why [the protection records] should be exempt,” said Barbara Petersen, executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability. “But the transportation records are sensitive only so long as that transportation event is active.”

Petersen said those records are important now and critically important if DeSantis announces a presidential announcement run.

“That all goes to government accountability,” she said.

But such records already aren’t easy to get. The USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida sent FDLE a public records request in late June for DeSantis’ flight logs. The department, more than nine months later, has yet to provide the records.

“It is retroactive, so all the records that people have been trying to get for the last year, six months — I get so many complaints about this — now they’re going to be all exempt,” Petersen said.

News 6 reported that taxpayers paid $1.2 million in operational costs to transport DeSantis between July 2021 and June 2022 – an increase of 52% over the previous year.

USA Today Network-Florida government accountability reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. Twitter: @DouglasSoule