The top attorney for the Florida Department of Health left his post within days of sending a letter to television stations on behalf of the state agency that threatened to criminally prosecute them if they did not take down a political advertisement in support of an abortion ballot initiative.
John Wilson, general counsel for the state agency since 2022, sent a letter to TV stations on Oct. 4 telling them to take down political advertisements run by a political committee that supports the ballot initiative, known as Amendment 4. The letter drew criticism from the Federal Communications Commission chairwoman, who called the letter “dangerous” and a likely violation of the First Amendment.
The reason for Wilson’s departure is unclear, but an automatic message from his work email says he “is no longer with the Department of Health.” His yearly salary was nearly $156,000, records show.
Efforts to reach Wilson Saturday by phone and in person were unsuccessful.
The Department of Health and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office did not respond to a request seeking comment on Wilson’s departure.
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In the letter to TV stations, Wilson warned that if they did not take down the 30-second political ad, they would be committing a second-degree misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of up to 60 days imprisoned or a fine of up to $500. He said the ad was a “sanitary nuisance” in violation of a state law that usually regulates the improper disposal of human waste or garbage or improperly built septic tanks.
The public health nuisance law does not mention examples pertaining to speech, but it does say the Department of Health is authorized to investigate any condition by which the health or life of an individual “may be threatened or impaired” or “through which, directly or indirectly, disease may be caused.”
The ad in question features a woman named Caroline making an emotional plea as she described receiving her terminal brain cancer diagnosis two years ago while pregnant with her second child.
“The doctors knew that if I did not end my pregnancy, I would lose my baby, I would lose my life, and my daughter would lose her mom,” Caroline said in the pro-Amendment 4 ad. “Florida has now banned abortion even in cases like mine. Amendment Four is gonna protect women like me.”
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In his letter, Wilson said those statements are “categorically false” and could put women’s health and lives at risk if it continued to be aired.
Attorneys representing Floridians Protecting Freedom, the political action committee backing the ballot initiative, said the ad is true. They said Caroline needed medical treatment to prolong her life, but that the treatment would likely have harmed or killed the fetus. The abortion was necessary to allow Caroline to continue treatment of her terminal cancer, but since the procedure alone would not have saved her life it may have not qualified as an exemption under Florida’s strict abortion law.
Local News
