Crucial reporting from the Miami Herald Wednesday night detailed the state of Florida’s decision to blackout large swaths of public information from data sheets about statewide deaths due to coronavirus. According to the Herald, the documents are compiled from individual medical examiners and maintained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The head of the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission, which governs the state’s 21 medical examiners, has confirmed that the information is subject to disclosure under the state’s public records law. The Herald explained that death counts from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement don’t align with reported fatalities from the Department of Health. Our news organizations have once again committed to file suit for the public information on your behalf — on behalf of truth, transparency and public safety.

Source: The Herald May 13, 2020 19:30 UTC