DeSantis' plan to hold Cabinet meeting in Israel questioned

One of the state's top open government advocates says the decision by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to hold a cabinet meeting this month in Jerusalem — 6,588 miles from the state's capital in Tallahassee — is unprecedented, unnecessary and violates the spirit of the state's Sunshine Law.

"I've never had this question about meeting in a foreign country," said Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation since 1995. Florida's Sunshine law requires most government meetings, including those of the governor and his cabinet, to be open to the public. "I think it violates the spirit of the Sunshine Law."

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Although the law and rules do allow for meetings to be held out of state under certain circumstances, Peterson said the law does not address holding public meetings in foreign countries.

"I'm getting a lot of calls about this," Petersen said. "Everybody is scratching their heads about it."

DeSantis has been a staunch supporter of Israel since his days in Congress and vowed during his gubernatorial campaign to be the most pro-Israel governor in the nation. Although the mission of the trip, hosted by Enterprise Florida, is to promote investment in the state, DeSantis announced on April 9 that his cabinet would hold a meeting during the visit.

Since making the announcement while meeting with South Florida Jewish leaders on April 9, the governor's office has not released details or answered questions about the cabinet meeting, including the agenda, cost and names of other government officials and business leaders who will travel with him. Other cabinet members likely to attend include Attorney General Ashley Moody, Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.

It is not known whether the meeting will be broadcast live and if so, how and when. There is a seven hour time difference between eastern Florida and Jerusalem, and eight hours in the panhandle.

Also at issue is what will be discussed at the meeting, Petersen said. If the meeting is ceremonial, such as simply issuing a proclamation, and the cabinet does not act on substantive state business, the state's open government rules are less stringent, she said.

With no agenda on the cabinet's website and its annual meeting calendar showing no meeting in May, an argument could be made that the public has not been given reasonable notice, Petersen said.

Although Florida's Sunshine Law does not indicate exactly how much notice is considered reasonable, when a meeting is held outside of the country the agenda should be available well in advance to allow the public to make travel arrangements, Petersen said.

"I just keep thinking why?" Petersen said. "They don't need to do this."

Politics could explain DeSantis' reasoning. President Donald Trump's popularity among Jewish voters — considered a crucial voting block in Florida — soared after he announced plans to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights and pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.

DeSantis, an acolyte of Trump and pro-Israel Christian, endeared himself to Jews early in his administration when he barred state employees from using Airbnb on official business and said the popular lodging-rental service could face additional state sanctions because of its policy against listing properties in Israeli settlements in the disputed West Bank.

In April, DeSantis accompanied Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to Las Vegas for the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual conference.

Matt Brooks, the group's CEO, told the Jewish Star that Trump had earned the adoration of the room and that support for the president in the Jewish community "is growing exponentially."

cstapleton@pbpost.com

@StapletonPBPost