Lawsuit challenges DeSantis’ anti-Amendment 4 website

TALLAHASSEE — A political committee leading efforts to pass a constitutional amendment on abortion rights filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging that the state Agency for Health Care Administration is using a website and ads to spread “misinformation” about the November ballot measure. The lawsuit, filed in Leon County circuit court by attorneys for the Floridians Protecting Freedom committee, seeks a temporary injunction to prevent the agency from continuing to disseminate the information online and through television and radio ads. “In educating the electorate about the purpose and ramifications of a proposed constitutional amendment, the government cannot do so in a manner that is inaccurate, misleading, abusive, or fraudulent,” the lawsuit said. “AHCA’s actions regarding Amendment 4 (the abortion rights amendment) … have been inaccurate, misleading, abusive and fraudulent. ” The lawsuit alleges that the agency has violated Floridians Protecting Freedom’s right to propose constitutional amendments and that state law prevents officials from participating in political advocacy.

“Under the guise of providing ‘facts’ to the public, the website contains harmful statements that are fundamentally misleading at best, if not outright false,” the lawsuit said. “It includes multiple statements that lead only to the conclusion that AHCA is using its official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with an election, or to influence votes and affect the result of the decision on Amendment 4. ” But Gov. Ron DeSantis this week defended the agency’s information, describing it as “above board” and likening it to public service announcements by other government agencies. “You know, we have resources to do public service announcements across a wide variety of fronts.

That goes to the Department of Transportation, for example, on safe driving,” DeSantis said Monday during an appearance in Miami Lakes. “It’s being used by the AHCA agency to basically provide people with accurate information. And I think that that’s something that’s really important, because, quite frankly, a lot of people don’t usually get that in the normal (information) bloodstream. So, everything that’s put out is factual. It’s not electioneering.

” Related: DeSantis’ election police questioned people who signed abortion petitions DeSantis is helping lead efforts to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment, which comes after the Legislature last year passed a law to prevent abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. In part, the proposed amendment says, no “law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health.