Charlie Crist sued in public records dispute

State Reps. Matt Gaetz and Tom Grady have filed a lawsuit against Charlie Crist, alleging the governor has broken Florida’s public record law. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of John Rood, who also sued for a refund of campaign contributions he gave Crist while the governor was still running as the Republican candidate for Senate.

Seven records requests were submitted to the governor’s office on behalf of John Rood on Aug. 25. In each letter, he asks to receive the documents no later than Sept. 1. Gaetz and Grady allege the governor’s office has failed to respond to the requests.

In one request he asks for “all documents that relate to Crist’s candidacy or campaign for U.S. Senate.” In another, he asks for “all documents which relate in any way to Governor Crist’s decision to run as a Republican candidate in Florida’s 2010 election for United States Senate.”

In an email to the St. Petersburg Times, Sterling Ivey, a spokesperson for Crist, said, “We have searched our records and found nothing responsive on three, which we advised the attorneys of. We continue to search records for the remaining four.”