Violent end revealed: Sometimes it takes a lawsuit to make public records public. Legal action by the Miami Herald and CNN forced the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to release a video of Panama City boot camp guards punching and kneeing a 14-year-old boy before his death. The 30-minute video captures the last moments of Martin Lee Anderson’s life. The story by Carol Marbin Miller, Mary Ellen Klaus and Gary Fineout says: “Thus it went during some of the last moments of the youth's life: punched in the arms with fists at least 14 times, kneed or kicked repeatedly, subjected to painful wrist locks, smashed and squeezed for at least 90 seconds into a pole, and apparently choked. A nurse, hands on hips, watches but stays out of the fray for more than 20 minutes. Through it all, the 140-pound boy remains limp. He doesn't appear to resist. His only movements: his legs writhe while officers spend long moments on top of him.” This disturbing video is a prime example of how important it is for the governed to see how their government is governing them. This story also makes reference to a controversial autopsy report that indicated the boy died of “natural causes.”

Florida Sunshine Review:
*The Florida Times-Union, by Mary Kelli Palka: Jacksonville Mayor’s Office pulls e-mails off the Internet in favor of a viewing terminal at City Hall (*free registration required) …
*The Florida Times-Union, by columnist Ron Littlepage: Jacksonville Mayor’s Office takes wrong turn in lessening access to city e-mails (*free registration required) …
Ocala Star-Banner, by Ryan Conley: Court clerks face issues meeting state redaction demands …
Ocala Star-Banner, by Ryan Conley: Paperwork piles up in Marion County clerk’s office …

A good digger to be missed:
Reporter Mike Hoyem of the Fort Myers News-Press, whose records-driven stories often warranted iDig’s admiration, has written his last story in this life far too soon. His deed scam stories were among iDig’s favorites …

March 2, 2006

Florida Sunshine Review:
Associated Press, by Bill Kaczor: Clerks and media want more court records online …
Palm Beach Post, by Dara Kam: Florida clerks of court want shift in burden of confidentiality …
Bradenton Herald, by Stephen Majors: Carlie ruling results in bill to close some public records …
Tallahassee Democrat, by Jeff Burlew: Leon County commissioners’ e-mail swap may violate the Sunshine law…
*Naples Daily News editorial: Court records must remain open and available (*free registration required) …
*Orlando Sentinel editorial: Florida needs to fix law that doesn’t give true information its due (*free registration required) …
Lakeland Ledger editorial: Court misinterpretation of the law has put truthful reporting at a disadvantage …
*Orlando Sentinel: Will that be paper or cyber? Both please (*free registration required) …
High Springs Herald editorial: Legislation would make it harder for plaintiffs to bring invasion of privacy lawsuits that punish free speech …
Miami Herald, by Fred Grimm: Big Brother shows his good side in court with surveillance tapes …
*Orlando Sentinel, by John Kennedy and Jason Garcia: Legislators may go even farther as autopsy-photo clause expires (*free registration required) …
Fort Myers News-Press, by Michelle L. Start: Medical records are coming online in Florida under tight security …