Boot camp inspections missed red flag: Public records are revealing but can be fallible. Carol Marbin Miller of the Miami Herald reports that Florida boot camp inspections for years missed red flags from rising incidents involving the use of force. A Herald review of audits by the Department of Juvenile Justice depicted the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Boot Camp as a top operation. That was before the beating of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson by guards was caught on videotape. Anderson later died. The Herald found “that inspectors for years failed to detect that guards were routinely violating state policies that banned use of force – takedowns, chokeholds, pressure-point restraints – except as a last resort. As oversight broke down, physical force incidents escalated, the story says. The story includes several excerpts from past audits.

More records in play:
Appraiser’s estimate, legislative bills: S.V. Date of the Palm Beach Post on Florida International University’s behind-the-scenes efforts to sell 26 acres of environmentally sensitive land to raise more than $100 million, which included enlisting the help of incoming Senate President Ken Pruitt …
County audit: Pedro Ruz Gutierrez and Henry Pierson Curtis of the Orlando Sentinel on an audit that revealed the “Orange County Sheriff's Office failed to keep track of how much public money and time were spent to create a private anti-terrorism program that paid Sheriff Kevin Beary a controversial $43,000 consulting fee” …
Divorce records, property records: Tom Dubocq of the Palm Beach Post on how the family of Palm Beach County Commission Chairman Tom Dubocq made around $1.3 million in connection with a government land purchase in Martin County…

Florida Sunshine Review:
Miami Herald, by Patrick Danner and Dan Christensen: Three Broward judges failed to obey the law with sealed cases (*free registration required) ...
Orlando Sentinel, by Susan Jacobson: Firm says Florida FCAT information is a trade secret …
Fort Myers News-Press editorial: Lawmakers are trying to take away the public’s right to know …
Daytona Beach News-Journal, guest column by Barbara A. Petersen: Outlook is dismal for government sunshine as lawmakers try to block light …
*Miami Herald, by Natalie P. McNeal: South Florida governments are preparing to remove sensitive information from millions of public records (*free registration required) …
*Gainesville Sun, by Jack Stripling: University of Florida President Bernie Machen declines to make court date involving a lawsuit claiming he and other UF officials withheld public records in violation of state law (*free registration required) …
St. Petersburg Times: Lawmakers move to keep autopsy photos confidential …
Associated Press: Judge says FEMA records must be turned over to the Sun-Sentinel …
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, by Josh Hafenbrack: Scripps negotiations with Palm Beach County to be aired …
Tallahassee Democtrat, by Jim Ash: Margolis withdraws bill to make government e-mails addresses secret …
Palm Beach Post editorial: Good government grows best in the sunshine …

April 2, 2006

Florida Sunshine Review:
Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial: Saying “no” to these public records bills should be an easy call for state lawmakers …
Fort Myers News-Press editorial: State’s recruiting efforts need scrutiny of the public and the media …
Palm Beach Post, by Dara Kam: House of Representatives in favor of renewing scrutiny shields for public deals …
Daytona Beach News-Journal, by James Miller: Open government advocates hit snags in the Legislature …