Two hundred fifty years ago, a new nation grounded in the ideals of liberty and freedom was born. The right to freedom of speech was fundamental to its birth. Our Founding Fathers knew that free people had to be able to criticize their government without fear of retribution.

Two hundred fifty years later, free speech and the right to seek accountability of government is no less essential to the American experience.

In Florida, we hear our governor, Ron DeSantis, and our elected leaders frequently call this “the free state of Florida.”  Yet freedom must be complete, deep and regularly practiced to be true freedom. 

A rapidly growing scandal involving the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) threatens the practice and ideals of freely challenging the government.

Florida news outlets have been documenting and exposing unethical and secretive investigations of Floridians – of average citizens – by the FWC for weeks now. Over several years, FWC repeatedly accessed restricted data of its critics held by the state of Florida. Citizens who questioned the policies and regulations of the FWC had their records searched in a potential violation of state policy.

Criminal investigations, but what was the crime?

FWC may have accessed these individuals' personal driving and vehicle records, personal data and other information kept in closed state databases, specifically the Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database.

This restricted system........

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