(TAMPA, FL, 5/22/2025) – The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL), the state’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed an appeals court ruling the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office improperly withheld public records related to a program targeting “problem people” and “at-risk youths” and is required to pay CAIR-Florida’s attorney fees for its challenge to the office’s actions.

CAIR-Florida filed a lawsuit in 2022 seeking to force the sheriff’s office to provide records related to its “Intelligence Led Policing” program and won that litigation the same year, but the trial court struck the prevailing party attorney fees, so CAIR-Florida appealed and won on the issue of fees.

SEE: Pasco Sheriff’s Office ordered to pay fees for targeting “problem people,” “at-risk youths”

In a statement, CAIR-FL Communications Director Wilfredo Amr Ruiz said:

“We welcome this ruling and the previous win in this case and hope law enforcement agencies get the message that they must be open and transparent.”

About CAIR-Florida:

CAIR-Florida is the state’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, foster dialogue, safeguard civil liberties for all, empower American Muslims, and form coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR-Florida es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

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CONTACT: CAIR-FL Communications Director Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, (305) 502-6749, [email protected]