ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Sentinel sued the Florida Department of Transportation on Tuesday, seeking to compel the release of public records related to the state’s decision to remove a rainbow crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub where 49 people were gunned down almost a decade ago.
The Sentinel requested a variety of documents in late August, but the agency has not produced that information. Nor has it provided substantive updates on the status of the requests, according to the paper’s lawsuit.
“There is a strong need for the public to understand why the crosswalk was removed and what regulations FDOT believed the crosswalk violated,” Sentinel lawyers Giselle Girones and Rachel E. Fugate wrote in the complaint. “Access to this information will provide critical insight into how FDOT is exercising its regulatory power to eliminate what it considers ‘political banners,’ especially considering local officials’ claims that the actions were unwarranted and conducted without prior notice.”…