Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Image by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

JERUSALEM (JTA) — An open-government watchdog group and several news outlets filed a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and members of the Florida State Cabinet over a meeting being held in Jerusalem.

The Cabinet meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem was scheduled to be held on Wednesday afternoon.

The lawsuit said that the meeting violates the Florida state constitution and state open government laws which require Cabinet meetings be open and accessible to the public.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The meeting was to be livestreamed on The Florida Channel.

Judge Angela C. Dempsey of the Second Circuit Court of Florida on Tuesday denied an emergency motion to stop Wednesday’s meeting from happening, since DeSantis and the Cabinet members could not be served with a summons, according to Florida news reports.

Meanwhile, DeSantis on Monday said that “Holding a meeting of the Florida Cabinet in the embassy in Jerusalem, that is going to be a real neat thing.” He made the remark to members of the business delegation during a reception at the residence in Herzliya of U.S. Amb. David Friedman.

DeSantis and a 90-person state trade delegation arrived in Israel on Sunday. He has so far signed agreements on working with Israel and Israeli companies in space technology, agriculture, protecting water, and cybersecurity.

On Monday DeSantis visited Ariel University, becoming the first sitting state governor to visit the West Bank. During the visit he signed a Memorandum of Understanding between Ariel and Florida State University. Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, major donors to the university, were present during DeSantis’ visit.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount