Thread by @DeForestNews6

NEW: Some have asked how #News6 discovered the paper trail showing @GovRonDeSantis delayed releasing financial records of Matt Gaetz associate Halsey Beshears. Here’s a 🧵 with receipts. (1/21) #News6

Following a @Politico report linking Halsey Beshears to the Matt Gaetz investigation in April 2021, I submitted a public records request with the FL Dept of Business & Professional regulation seeking the former secretary's expense reports. (2/21) #News6

DBPR usually responds quickly to record requests for contractor complaints and such, so I was puzzled when my wait for Beshears’ records hit one month. I requested an appointment to view them in-person as Florida law allows. No response. (3/21) #News6

After 3 months and 9 ignored emails, we published this article about DBPR withholding Beshears’ records. Coincidentally or not, they finally arrived one week later. (4/21) #News6
clickorlando.com/news/local/202…

The 61 pages of Beshears’ expense reports appeared routine, mostly detailing agency-related travel within the state. There were 25 redacted account numbers as FL law requires. Here are some examples. (5/21) #News6

Why did it take 3 months to produce the records? There has been chatter since @SenRickScott was governor that some “high profile” requests might be sent to the governor for review. So in July I sent this new records request to the office of @GovRonDeSantis. (6/21) #News6

@SenRickScott @GovRonDeSantis Four months later, @GovRonDeSantis staff responded, claiming there were no responsive records. In other words, they apparently had nothing showing my DBPR request went through their office. Maybe my theory was wrong? (7/21) #News6

@SenRickScott @GovRonDeSantis So in November I submitted another records request to DBPR seeking all emails containing my last name, #News6's TV station call letters, or “Beshears”. I figured that might reveal how my request traveled through DBPR. (8/21)

@SenRickScott @GovRonDeSantis In March (3+ months later), DBPR produced this internal email. It confirms DBPR compiled a portion of Beshears’ financial records less than 6 hours after I first requested them in April 2021. (9/21) #News6

@SenRickScott @GovRonDeSantis DPBR also produced Daily Media Reports documenting the agency’s contacts with news organizations. This shows my records request was routed to Finance the day it was received on 4/15/21. (10/21) #News6

@SenRickScott @GovRonDeSantis 15 days later my request was "under review" by DBPR's Chief of Staff. The media logs reveal some public records were given to news organizations the very same day they were requested. But not mine! (11/21) #News6

@SenRickScott @GovRonDeSantis On 5/4/21 my records were placed “with Kim for review”. They remained “with Kim” for 2+ months, until at least 7/7/21. Who is Kim? Great question! (12/21) #News6

@SenRickScott @GovRonDeSantis Last month I sent an email to DBPR asking for Kim’s last name and job title. No response. So I sent another message 5 days later. (13/21) #News6

DBPR responded the next day… but did not answer my specific questions seeking Kim's last name and title. So I wrote back a 3rd time. (14/21) #News6

Meanwhile, to force DBPR to identify Kim, I sent this very creative records request seeking the most recent email authored by Kim. I hoped such an email might include her full name and title. (15/21) #News6

My ploy apparently worked. 12 days after I first asked, DBPR identified Kim as an administrative assistant for @GovRonDeSantis. We finally had a paper trail confirming Beshears’ records were compiled in days and then sent to the governor for 2+ months. (16/21) #News6

@GovRonDeSantis On March 22, I sent these questions to @GovRonDeSantis's press office. No response. I sent them again on March 23. No response. I sent them again on March 24. No response. (17/21) #News6

@GovRonDeSantis So on March 28 I sent the same questions to Kim, along with this summary. The next day I shared our publication deadline with her. No response. (18/21) #News6

@GovRonDeSantis The next day @GovRonDeSantis's press office finally responded with this statement... more than a week after I first contacted them. (19/21) #News6

@GovRonDeSantis I sent follow-up questions to @GovRonDeSantis's press office asking how its position squares with page 168 of the Florida Government in the Sunshine Manual published by @AGAshleyMoody and @FLFAF . No response. Here's that manual: myfloridalegal.com/sun.nsf/sunman… (20/21) #News6

@GovRonDeSantis @AGAshleyMoody @FLFAF By then I had contacted open government advocates @FLFAF and @FLCTRGA. Their legal concerns about the delay caused by @GovRonDesantis’s secondary “review” of public records can be found here (21/21) clickorlando.com/news/local/202… #News6