Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to hold cabinet meeting in Israel

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is going to Israel with a large contingent of business leaders later this week. That’s not surprising, especially as the GOP woos Jewish voters ahead of the 2020 US presidential election.

But DeSantis also has announced plans to hold a meeting with the US state’s three independently elected Cabinet members while he’s there. That has raised concerns about whether the officials are violating the state’s open-meeting laws.

The trip begins Saturday. As of today, the Cabinet hasn’t posted the meeting on its calendar or provided an agenda.

Barbara Petersen of the open-government watchdog group First Amendment Foundation is concerned. She says there is no reason to hold a Cabinet meeting that regular Floridians won’t be able to attend.

— AP