A judge has ruled that a Florida elections supervisor violated state and federal laws by destroying ballots from a 2016 congressional race while they were the subject of a lawsuit against her office.

The SunSentinel reports Florida's Department of State said it will send election experts to the Broward County elections office in upcoming elections to "ensure that all laws are followed."

The decision involved Tim Canova's bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the 2016 Democratic primary. Canova lost, 57 percent to 43 percent.

Canova wanted to look for voting irregularities and sought to see the ballots in 2017. He sued Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes when the ballots weren't produced. However, Snipes had approved destruction of the ballots.

Snipes' attorney says they'll appeal the decision.