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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Says Meeting In Israel Didn't Violate Law

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) -— A lawsuit claiming the governor violated state constitution during a recent Cabinet meeting held in Israel is frivolous, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.

DeSantis and Florida's three independently elected Cabinet members met in the state Capitol, six days after meeting in Jerusalem as part of a trade mission.

The First Amendment Foundation, an open government watchdog group, and several media outlets sued in an effort to stop the meeting, saying it violated the state constitution and laws that require meetings be accessible to the public.

DeSantis said the Jerusalem meeting was legal and conducted in the open. He noted that it was live-streamed.

But First Amendment Foundation President Barbara Petersen said there is nothing frivolously about the concerns raised in the lawsuit about the constitutionality of the meeting.

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