"A former Florida Supreme Court justice has lined up in support of a Santa Rosa Beach attorney who’s the focus of investigations after he dressed up as the Grim Reaper and sued Gov. Ron DeSantis for refusing to shut down state beaches last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic."
“It is my opinion and legal view that the lawsuit and appeal were not frivolous,” Lewis, who served on the Supreme Court for 21 years until his retirement in 2019, wrote in documents provided by Uhlfelder. “I submit this affidavit because it is my view that legal action,
the independence of counsel and requirements that lawyers be strong advocates are pillars of our democracy. The independence of the judiciary is also key to preserving our liberties and independence of counsel essential to our adversarial system.”
“When a citizen believes the governor is violating his constitutional duty to preserve the life and well-being of his citizens, he has the right to bring that claim before a court of general jurisdiction, and, if the trial court believes it cannot hear it but encourages an appeal
the Floridian has the right to seek an appeal of that decision,” the former Supreme Court justice wrote.
"Lewis and Benton, who spent 17 years as an administrative law judge prior to his appointment to the Tallahassee-based appeals court in 1994, also noted that DeSantis’ handling of the pandemic has sparked numerous lawsuits, including others that wound up at the 1st District.
None of the lawyers in any of those cases have been targeted for allegedly filing frivolous lawsuits, the former jurists said.
“I disagree with the view that the initial lawsuit and appeal were frivolous. I am making this affidavit because I think the independence of the bar is
is one of the pillars of our democracy. Just as the independence of the judiciary is key to preserving our liberties, so is the independence of the bar (on whom the courts necessarily rely) essential to our system,” wrote Benton, who served 22 years on the appellate court."
“The lawyer who drew attention to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' hands-off approach to the pandemic by dressing as the Grim Reaper is staring down punishment from the Florida Bar. As he makes his case, however, Daniel Uhlfielder has some powerful names in his corner.
A former state Supreme Court chief justice backed Uhlfelder in a brief shared by the Orlando Sentinel.”
"A former Florida appellate judge, Robert Benton, agreed in a recent affidavit submitted to the Florida Bar supporting Uhlfelder. “I disagree with the view that the initial lawsuit and appeal were frivolous,” Benton wrote. “I am making this affidavit because I think the
independence of the bar is one of the pillars of our democracy. Just as the independence of the judiciary is key to preserving our liberties …” A former state Supreme Court Justice, Fred Lewis, said in a separate affidavit that he did not believe Uhlfelder’s case was frivolous,
On June 3, 2021, Florida stopped posting COVID-19 daily reports because Governor DeSantis's press secretary said "our state is returning to normal." On August 10, 2021, amid spike in DELTA cases, Florida began reporting by the date of death rather than when death reported
as it had been doing since beginning of pandemic creating an "artificial decline" which make it "look like we are doing better than we are." See chart below from article. bradenton.com/news/coronavir…
The concerted rebellion of 10 Florida county school boards, including some of the largest in state, against DeSantis’s mask order and threats is going to be one large domino that will lead to his defeat next year. @RemoveRon
Floridians will never forget the torture he has caused parents, teachers and students and he will be kicked out of office next year.
Orange County, Florida School Board just voted to require masks in defiance of DeSantis
It’s 9th county now joining Alachua, Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Leon, Sarasota, and Duval
These counties make up a huge portion of the overall state population including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach and Sarasota