The ACLU of Florida has responded to an executive order issued by Florida’s Governor, Rick Scott, that mandates random drug testing of state employees. Noting the similarity of the order to a policy previously found unconstitutional by a federal judge in 2004, Howard Simon, Executive Director, ACLU of Florida, stated:
“I’m not sure why Governor Scott does not know that the policy he recreated by Executive Order today has already been declared unconstitutional.
“The state of Florida cannot force people to surrender their constitutional rights in order to work for the state. Absent any evidence of illegal drug use, or assigned a safety sensitive job, people have a right to be left alone.
“Coming from a Governor who promised to protect our freedoms by limiting the intrusive reach of government into our personal lives, this massive expansion of government power at the expense of basic rights is stunning and exposes the state to serious future legal liability.
The ACLU has offered to represent any state employee or association of state employees who will have their rights infringed upon if the announced policy takes effect.
Source: ACLU of Florida