Records fuel feud between UCF, resident: Public records are some of the best tools civic activists have for digging into issues. David Damron of the Orlando Sentinel has a fascinating piece on how semi-retired nurse Susan Eberle “picked up the sword of Florida's open-meeting and records laws to challenge how the [University of Central Florida] expands.” The growth around the university and near her home shocked Eberle. She and her neighbors used the state’s Sunshine laws to make public officials take note of their concerns. “Eberle, 57, unearthed obscure maps that she says reveal future flood problems around UCF, and pulled together other records that detail student crime trends around the campus east of Orlando. Working with members of the Sierra Club, she forced the university to scale back expansion of fraternity housing, made it promise to protect natural areas across the campus and pressed the school to build more on-campus housing.” But Eberle says she has gone through “misery and horror” in getting the public records she was entitled to receive. As a result of her success, the newspaper reports, “UCF and its allies in the Legislature are trying to change state law that may make it easier to hide key details from someone like Eberle in a university-growth plan fight.” According to the bill, universities would no longer have to "disclose location of structures," the Sentinel reports. “And while universities would be required to hold two public hearings on growth plans, campus trustee boards could vote to approve the plans at the second hearing. The story says the bill “also contains measures that Eberle and other environmental activists say would stunt their ability to raise informed objections, and possibly force them to pay a school's legal tab or other ‘sanctions’ if complaints were deemed ‘frivolous.’ “

Florida Sunshine Review:
Daytona Beach News-Journal, by Jay Stapleton: Ormond Beach city commissioner cleared in newspaper’s suit accusing him and two others of violating open meeting laws …
WJCB TV-20 News, by Troy Kinsley: Controversial book moved in Suwannee River Regional Library …
*Orlando Sentinel, by columnist Mike Thomas: Sunny records have some dark, scary corners (*free registration required) …
*Orlando Sentinel, by columnist Myrium Marquez: Government secrets don’t protect us (*free registration required) …

March 15, 2005

Eagle nursed to health at Woodland Wonders: Public records help bolster all kinds of stories. Details from a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission study obtained by Cheryl N. Schmidt of The Tampa Tribune aid this report about a bald eagle getting a second lease on life in Polk County. The story says the eagle was weak, wet and nearly dead when a homeowner found her during a rainstorm and took her to Joan Waters at the nonprofit Woodland Wonders Wildlife Services. “Waters wasn't sure of the Eagle's sex, which is hard to determine. But the bird had two bands on its legs and a transmitter under a wing, meaning the eagle was part of a 1996 to 2001 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission study. Project records show the bird is female and was banded March 5, 1997, 15 miles south of Zephyrhills. Her transmitter had failed, but the study's Web site shows other eagles have been tracked as far as Nova Scotia.” The story lists the state Web site address with more details about the project.

Florida Sunshine Review:
The Associated Press, by David Royse: Bills to limit public access to records in Florida raise concerns …
Cox News Service, by Rebecca Carr: UF study on public records finds states put safety before access …
St. Petersburg Times, by Carrie Johnson: Legislature again takes aim at public records laws, filing more than 40 bills that would close public access …
Palm Beach Post, by Dara Kam: Personal data theft imperils public records access …
Daytona Beach News-Journal, by Jim Haug: Sunshine advocates face off against state legislators …

March 14, 2005

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Deed scam extends worldwide: The eyebrow-raising story broken by Mike Hoyem of the Fort Myers News-Press about a bogus deeds scam gets even more interesting with this revelation that scammers are targeting property owners from Taiwan and China to Belgium and the Congo. The story says signatures of dead people are being forged so their land can be stolen in Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota counties. “Scam artists are locating properties that have dead owners and overdue taxes — apparently through the Internet — and are filing forged deeds on the lots with fake witnesses and fraudulent notary seals,” the story says. U.S. and state attorneys offices are investigating as well as the Belgium police. “Many people in Europe own land in Southwest Florida. So do a lot of people in Asia and South America. That's because when property in Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres and other parts of Southwest Florida was subdivided and sold decades ago, it was marketed worldwide as an investment opportunity.” Does anyone else suspect this kind of thing is going on throughout Florida? Court clerks who log deeds say there isn’t much they can do. The story names some companies who are involved, and you can see examples of the fake deeds here. The public records handbook profiles deeds on Page 113.

Florida Sunshine Review:
The Associated Press, by Samantha Gross: Florida newspapers rally on Sunshine Sunday in support of open government …

Follow national Sunshine Week:
With news, links, overview and more showcasing coverage nationwide …
The Associated Press has launched its own Web pages tracking FOI news and Sunshine Week material …

Sunshine Sunday, March 13, 2005

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Florida Sunshine Review:
Sunshine Sunday is an annual focus by Florida newspapers and other media on the value of open government. For the first time this year, the effort has become national and expanded to “Sunshine Week.” Aside from sample stories posted here, read more articles and see cartoons through the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors’ Web site …
The Associated Press, by Brendan Farrington: Florida’s Sunshine Sunday grows to national Sunshine Week …
The Associated Press, by Bill Kaczor: Sun doesn't always shine on Florida's public records, meetings …
The Associated Press: Florida sunshine law violations since 1977 …
The Associated Press, by Ron Word: Study says states do a poor job of providing public records access …
The Associated Press, by David Royse: Legislature to consider open records measures …
The Florida Times-Union, by Lilly Rockwell: Legislature considers new exemptions to open records …
Miami Herald, column by Tom Fiedler: The value of open records in Florida …
First Amendment Foundation, column by Barbara Petersen: Time for state leaders to embrace government in the sunshine …
First Amendment Foundation, column by Jon Kaney: Court records on the Internet: protecting both side of open government …
The Florida Times-Union, column by Mike Clark: Our open records laws are for everyone, not just journalists …
Florida Attorney General column by Charlie Crist: Sunshine safeguards the public trust …
The Florida Times-Union, column by Joe Adams: Without public records, public consciousness on important issues would have huge gaps …
Daytona Beach News-Journal, column by Mark Lane: Internet ups the stakes on open government …
Boca Raton News editorial: Sunshine laws must remain free of clouds …
Bradenton Herald editorial: Guard the people’s right to watch government …
Cape Coral Daily Breeze editorial: We all benefit from open government laws …
Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial: Sunshine laws should apply to the Florida Legislature …
Florida Times-Union editorial: Open government: Keep it sunny …
Fort Myers News-Press editorial: Open records are vital to democracy …
Key West Citizen editorial: Sunshine Week should be celebrated all year …
Lakeland Ledger editorial: Florida’s tradition of sunshine …
Orlando Sentinel editorial: When it comes to open government, Florida residents are fortunate …
Northwest Florida Daily News editorial: Public vigilance is required to keep government open …
Naples Daily News editorial: Sunshine Sunday effort is about making sure the public has access to its business …
Palatka Daily News editorial: Let the sun shine in …
Palm Beach Post editorial: Florida’s Sunshine Sunday exposes perils of a secrecy-addicted government …
Panama City News Herald editorial: Unlock the sun in Florida …
Pensacola News Journal editorial: Your right to know is a fundamental freedom …
Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial: Florida’s Sunshine Sunday reaffirms openness in government …
Scripps’ Treasure Coast Newspapers editorial: Sunshine must stay in Florida …
South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial: Sunshine effort encourages open government …
St. Augustine Record editorial: Lawmakers first in line to deny public access in their own backyard …
St. Petersburg Times editorial: Transparency in government is vital to preventing abuses of power …
Tallahassee Democrat editorial: Defend your right to open government …
Tampa Tribune editorial: Why we champion a free press during national Sunshine Week …
Florida Today editorial: Fight the good fight for open government …
Leesburg Daily Commercial editorial: It’s imperative that the public not stand for the closing of open meetings and records …
Palm Beach Daily News editorial: Florida’s Sunshine law keeps government honest …
Sun-Herald newspapers editorial: Florida’s Sunshine laws protect your right to know …

March 11, 2005

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Film found of Jim Morrison as an FSU student: Sometimes the coolest things turn up in public records. Brendan Farrington of The Associated Press reports the state of Florida has found what could be the earliest video of Doors lead singer Jim Morrison, shot when he was a Florida State University student in the early 1960s before his Doors days. “The clip was discovered last year among films WFSU -- a PBS station operated by the university -- donated to the state in 1989 and was recently posted to the state's film archive Web site after being digitally converted,” the story says. Morrison, who died 34 years ago, briefly attended FSU before dropping out and going to film school at UCLA in California. He appears in a brief FSU promotional film that would have gone undetected if archivist Jaime Madden hadn’t noticed a familiarity in the way Morrison was standing. See the video clip posted here on the state archives Web site. The public records handbook profiles the state archives Web site on Page 218.

More chart makers:
Jail records, Florida Department of Law Enforcement criminal background check: Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler of the St. Petersburg Times on a driver who went into road rage and chased another driver in Tampa after seeing a Bush-Cheney bumper sticker …
Press release: Kevin Turner of the Fernandina Beach News-Leader on a state probe of finances at the Nassau County Clerk of Courts office …

Florida Sunshine Review:
The Bradenton Herald: New judge named in Manatee County records case …
Boca Raton News, by Sean Salai: Boca Raton-based Accurint’s 32,000 victims will discover next week that their identities were stolen …
Palm Beach Post, by Stephen Pounds: Hacked data boots identity theft to critical issue …
Fort Myers News-Press editorial: FEMA must come clean with public on records …
First Amendment Center, by Andrew Schotz: Nice overview piece on the status of federal and state access to public records online …

March 10, 2005

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Florida Sunshine Review:
The Associated Press: Four Florida newspapers sue the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in efforts to force release of information regarding the 2004 hurricanes …
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, by Sally Kestin: South Florida Sun-Sentinel sues for release of FEMA hurricane aid records …
Fort Myers News-Press, by Jeff Cull: Three Gannett newspapers in Florida sue to gain access to FEMA aid records…
Palm Beach Post, by Thomas R. Collins: Mayor’s calls may have violated the state’s Sunshine Law …
CBS News/Associated Press: Hackers hit Lexis-Nexis database, gaining access to the personal files of as many as 32,000 people …

March 9, 2005

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Lobbyists so powerful in Legislature that they sometimes write bills themselves: Public records can shed light on how government really works. State lobbyist registration records help Linda Kleindienst of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel write about how lobbyists use their connections to influence legislation before the state Legislature. The story notes that lobbyists do have to register with the state and list their clients but “the law doesn't require lobbyists to declare whom they are trying to sway or how much money they spend influencing a specific bill. They also do not have to disclose the fees they earn for their work – even though that kind of detail is required by 28 states. And their reports aren't due until more than three months after the Legislature adjourns.” Senate President Tom Lee is among those who wants the Legislature this year to place more reporting requirements on lobbyists. This story is good reading for insights on how the sausage gets made in the Legislature. The public records handbook covers lobbyist registration records on Page 271.

Records rock on:
Land use plan amendment application: Thomas Monnay of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on plans moving forward for a controversial mixed-use development in western Davie despite opposition from neighbors and some Weston officials …
City correspondence with contractors: Mary Kelli Palka of The Florida Times-Union on Jacksonville’s new $95 million downtown public library running behind schedule and over budget …
Police reports: Emily Yehle of the Independent Florida Alligator student newspaper on how a wine-tasting fundraiser at the University of Florida turned sour when an intoxicated woman clawed and kicked a police officer as he escorted her out of the student center …

Florida Sunshine Review:
St. Petersburg Times, by Steve Bousquet, Lucy Morgan and Alisa Ulferts: Plan would lift veil on lobbyists and make new information available about them to the public …
The Associated Press, by Harry R. Weber: Data broker hires TSA official to improve customer screening …
*Miami Herald, by Sara Olkon: Coconut Creek woman charged with running a $100,000 identity theft scheme (*free registration required) …

March 8, 2005

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I-75 shooting: a random crime?: Various public records, including concealed weapons licenses and hunting and fishing licenses, factor into this piece by Kevin Graham and Jamal Thalji of the St. Petersburg Times about “the mystery behind the death of a 49-year-old security guard who was shot in the chest Sunday as he drove his pickup truck along Interstate 75.” Authorities are concerned about the random nature of the shooting of David Addison Neel in his 1990 Ford F250. The shot hit him in the upper left side of his chest. Authorities say Neel may have been shot by someone in a passing vehicle, but there are no reports of road rage or that Neel was driving erratically. Nothing in his background suggests he would have been a target, the story says. “State records show he got a concealed weapons permit in 2000 for the purpose of working as a security officer. Gee said he worked as a security guard for a subdivision in Hillsborough County. Neel also has a hunting and fishing permit.” The story notes info about Sunday's shooting can be reported to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at 813-247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 873-8477. The public records handbook profiles concealed weapons records on Page 93 and hunting and fishing license records on Page 152.

More hit records:
Federal securities filings and earnings reports: Matt Reed of Florida Today in a special report on how Florida insurance companies profited despite last year’s historic hurricane season …
Taser records, police reports, Florida Department of Law Enforcement criminal background records: Kristen Reed of the Daytona Beach News-Journal on the death of a 30-year-old Sanford man who fled from police, struggled with two officers and died shortly after being shot repeatedly with a Taser stun gun …
Police reports: Scott Gordon of the Orlando Sentinel on the driver in a car crash that killed two women being a repeat traffic offender and did not have a drivers license …

March 7, 2005

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Day-care operator's husband is neo-Nazi leader: Day-care center inspection records assist Bob Mahlburg of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in this piece about how “a child-care center … is also home to a self- professed white supremacist and neo-Nazi who has hosted a well-known Web site and Internet radio show.” The story says Michael Herbert Blevins, who calls himself "Von Bluvens," has advocated "shipping blacks back to Africa," deporting Mexicans and wholesale "extermination" of non-whites. His wife of less than a year operates the day-care, according to the story. “Sarasota County officials, who regulate child-care homes under a state contract, say they have no reason to close the day care. They stress they have found nothing that violates health and safety regulations, and they must also consider Blevins' constitutional right to free speech.” Regulators say the woman who has run the center for a decade has no serious violations and the county has no reason to notify parents about Blevins’ views. The home’s operator, Bernadette Blevins, “is a statewide figure in home-based day-care circles. She also has been a leader in a Sarasota child-care association and took an active role in the recent drafting of new Sarasota County day-care regulations by attending public meetings and offering proposals, county officials said.” The public records handbook covers child care regulation records on Page 76.

Records on a roll:
Florida Department of Law Enforcement criminal background records: Greg Auman of the St. Petersburg Times on how Florida's colleges don't take advantage of open public records to see if recruits have criminal pasts …
State Attorney case load records: Kristen Zambo of the Naples Daily News on how white collar criminals are facing more jail time in southwest Florida …
Campaign contribution records: Paige St. John and Aaron Deslatte for Florida Today on the development industry pumping almost $30 million into state offices and campaigns the past two election cycles …
Florida Department of Environmental Protection records: Don Ruane of the Fort Myers News-Press about how the Pineland Marina may face substantial fines after clearing and then filling an acre of mangroves with dirt and stone without the required permit after Hurricane Charley …

Florida Sunshine Review:
St. Petersburg Times, by columnist Howard Troxler: Even a little secrecy in legal system is too much …
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, by Lauren Glenn: Police can’t find coach complaint, jeopardizing what could be key evidence in the current investigation …
Tampa Tribune, by Anthony McCartney: ID thief finds victim with relative ease …

March 4, 2005

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$19.3 million accusation at DCF: An inspector general’s report obtained by Carol Marbin Miller of the Miami Herald indicates the "head of the Department of Children & Families' domestic violence office was so cozy with the program's largest private contractor that she thwarted officials' efforts to rein in $19.3 million in spending." In one of the revelations in the report, the story says Trula Motta, DCF's domestic violence program director, told her staff last summer to ''manipulate'' the agency's contract with the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence to conceal the costs of a retreat ''so no one would know'' DCF was paying for it. Several employees told DCF's Inspector General's Office that the “relationship between Motta and the coalition's executive director ‘is one of favoritism, and as a result, lacks the proper accountability.‘ ‘‘ But the investigation confirmed only one of six allegations concerning favoritism, inappropriate spending and charges that Motta had routinely used her influence to protect the Florida Coalition. The report said Motta denied ''any inappropriate interference or favoritism toward'' the coalition. The controversy is the latest in a scandal involving favoritism in the awarding of millions of dollars in DCF contracts that has cost seven DCF officials their jobs. This piece links to a PDF version of the inspector general’s report summary. The public records handbook covers inspector general records on Page 251.

Florida Sunshine Review:
Associated Press, by Mitch Stacy: Judge agrees to public access to DCF petition in Schiavo case …
Daytona Beach News-Journal, by James Miller:Code names cloak tax deals in Volusia County …

March 3, 2005

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More houses planned for Manatee County: Development records indicate how the world around us could change. Preliminary site plans reviewed by Duane Marsteller of the Bradenton Herald show more homes are proposed for Manatee County at Interstate 75 and Moccasin Willow Road. “The Robinson Gateway proposal calls for 369 single-family homes, 72 townhomes and nearly 550,000 square feet of commercial and office space on 287.9 acres,” the story says. “The proposed project leaves the interchange's extreme southwest corner as the only one that has not been developed or had development plans submitted for it, but that is expected to soon change.” The public records handbook covers a variety of development records, including comprehensive land use plan amendments on Page 90 and zoning and rezoning applications on Page 382.

More records in play:
Written statement, memo: Jim Buynak of the Orlando Sentinel on a Lake County sheriff's captain punished for a remark he made in a training class…
Indictment transcript: The Lakeland Ledger posted this indictment transcript online regarding Lakeland activist Dewey Smith, who is accused of forgery, fraud and accepting an illegal contribution …
City manager reviews: I.M. Stackel of the Naples Daily News on reviews of the Naples city manager by the Naples City Council …
Restaurant inspection reports: Lori Sykes of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on a woman’s complaint that she found maggots in food she ordered from a Miramar restaurant …
Federal crash data: Scott Powers of the Orlando Sentinel on how motorcycle deaths have more than doubled since 1999, the last full year that all Florida riders were required to wear helmets …

Florida Sunshine Review:
Associated Press, by Mitch Stacy: Media outlets argue to open DCF documents in Terry Schiavo case …
Bradenton Herald, by Brian Haas:Judge removes himself from public records lawsuit involving Manatee County court clerk and two former political candidates …
Palm Beach Post, by Dara Kam: Lawmaker vows stronger legislation against identity theft …

March 1, 2005

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Camp land claims raise suspicions: Unusual land records obtained by Mike Hoyem of the Fort Myers News-Press help drive this story about land owned by dead folks being claimed under Florida’s adverse possession of properties law. The story says the Florida Land Management Trust has no land but “has staked claim to 10 properties in Cape Coral — worth at least $234,000 — that are owned by people who are dead” by filing what’s known as adverse possession of the properties. The corporation’s Raul O. Mendez Jr. denies it, but Lee County Property Appraiser Ken Wilkinson suspects he may be trying to use the obscure law in a way it was not intended to grab land in Southwest Florida's booming real estate market. “The law was designed for cases where people encroach upon each other's property, such as a farmer who builds a fence a few feet onto a neighbor's farm. The properties Mendez has claimed are vacant lots in Cape Coral where no boundary issues exist. Until recently, the lots had two other situations in common — overdue tax bills and skyrocketing property values. One of the properties, for example, was worth $5,280 in 2001. Today, it’s worth $52,800.” The story includes links to images of six adverse possession letters filed with the property appraiser’s office, including this one. This piece makes one wonder how the law is being used elsewhere in Florida …

More chart makers:
Complaint affidavit: Derek Simmonsen of the Fort Pierce Tribune on a Jensen Beach man accused of finding lots listed on delinquent tax rolls and forging signatures on deeds before turning around and selling the lots for a profit …
Lawyer disciplinary records: Sean Salai of the Boca Raton News on the Florida Supreme Court's reprimand of a defense attorney who is running for Boca Raton City Council …
Civil lawsuit records: Kristen Zambo of the Naples Daily News on a gay couple who dropped their lawsuit the Lee County Clerk of Courts challenging the state’s ban on gay marriage …