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Joe's Hit Records
 Excuses, no-shows try system: Written excuses from potential jurors inject some humor into a serious issue in this story by Sherri M. Owens of The Orlando Sentinel. Letters from potential jurors include all kinds of reasons for wanting to avoid jury duty, including this excuse given by a Tavares man: "I am biased, prejudiced and opinionated.” The story offers circuit court statistics on dismissals from jury duty and some of the reasons why. “But many who are summoned don't bother to respond at all. Court records show 1,772 jury no-shows last year in Lake. The result, court officials say, is higher costs and reduced efficiency.” The story includes a box with popular excuses given for missing jury duty.
November 26, 2003 Seven Pines employees likely to face disciplinary action for circulating e-mail porn: E-mail records released by Pembroke Pines police drive this story by Vicky Agnew of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel regarding seven Pembroke Pines police employees who used department computers to circulate thousands of pornographic and illicit e-mails among themselves and others. Internal affairs reports indicate a detective among the seven has been reprimanded twice since 2000 for the same offense. City policy states “the city's computer-use policy expressly forbids the circulation of e-mails containing offensive material, remarks based on sex, race, ethnicity, national origin. The public records handbook addresses e-mail on Page 140 and police internal affairs reports on Page 310.
November 25, 2003 New UF president may earn millions: Public records are important sources of pay information regarding public officials. A draft employment contract obtained by Carrie Miller of the Gainesville Sun indicates incoming University of Florida President Bernie Machen “could make up to an average of $685,625 a year if he stays eight years and meets goals set by UF's board of trustees.” If he does so, Machen will be among the most highly paid university presidents in the nation. He is expected to sign the contract Dec. 5. Notes the story: “Before last Friday, UF officials had declined to release his contract, saying he hadn't signed it yet. It was released in response to an open records request.” The public records handbook covers government personnel records on Page 239.
November 24, 2003 County missing thousands in inventory: Public records can bring to light important details about obscure – but important – aspects of local government. Alan Snel of Florida Today reviewed five years of Brevard County inventory records to discover “Brevard County's government is missing tens of thousands of dollars worth of laptop computers, golf carts, public safety radios and other equipment.” The story says the county reported nearly $20,000 worth of items missing in 2003 and nearly $32,000 worth of stuff in 2002. But the actual real costs of the missing items are unclear. “On paper, officials depreciated their value, in many cases recording them as worthless – and no great loss to taxpayers. However, the same property would cost much more if the county had to replace it.” For instance, the county water resources director said a missing gas detector valued at $187 would cost $1,000 to buy new. Reasons given by officials for the missing items ranged from theft to missing paperwork to fallen property tags that showed ID numbers. Here’s a hunch: A similar look of these records at county and city governments across the state would likely produce some interesting findings as well.
November 21, 2003 Malpractice insurers seeking rate increases: Public records are essential for helping keep tabs on many types of proposed rate increases for companies and people. Rate increase requests filed with the state by three of Florida’s malpractice insurers propel this story by Phil Galewitz of the Palm Beach Post about how medical malpractice insurance is likely to go up despite state legislation this year to help keep rising costs down. The records with the state’s Office of Insurance Regulation indicate rate increases are being sought ranging from 8 percent to 45 percent. The story notes insurance companies have until Jan. 1 to file their new rate requests under the state's new malpractice law. “Of the more than 50 carriers selling coverage in Florida, only these three insurers have filed so far,” the story says. A decision by insurance officials on the rate increase should be made with a couple of months. The public records handbook covers state licensing and regulation files on insurance companies starting on Page 190. The handbook explains how to research legislative bills on Page 216 and Page 53.
November 20, 2003 Port plan developer named in lawsuits: Lawsuits involving a developer and what Pensacola officials did or didn’t know about them are a focal point in this story by Sheila Ingram of the Pensacola News Journal. “A developer who wants exclusive negotiating rights with the city to build a hotel, shops and cruise ship terminal at the Port of Pensacola was a defendant in at least 19 lawsuits connected with a troubled development in southwest Escambia County,” the story says. The developer said his old debts involving the project are settled and that city officials knew about them, but some city officials said those prior difficulties were news to them. The story says most of the lawsuits in question were filed between 1986 and 1999. The public records handbook covers civil lawsuit case files starting on Page 82.
November 19, 2003 Florida attorney general to fight proposed phone rate hikes: The Florida Public Service Commission offers a trove of public information about Florida utility companies and proposed rate hikes. Bob Mahlburg of the Orlando Sentinel taps those records for this story about Florida Attorney General Charlie Christ asking state utility regulators to throw out the biggest proposed local phone rate increase in state history. “The proposed rate increases could nearly double the costs of local phone service for some customers, according to Florida Public Service Commission records. BellSouth, Sprint and Verizon are pushing to boost average monthly bills for basic residential phone service by $3 to $6.86 per month during the next four years and another 20.percent every year after that.” The story notes that a law passed earlier this year “ requires higher local phone rates to be offset by an equal drop in other charges. Crist said phone companies have provided no proof that will actually happen.” The public records handbook profiles the offerings of PSC regulatory records in detail starting on Page 223.
November 18, 2003 Clerk of court outlines termination: Incoming snail mail to public agencies is public record unless the law exempts a piece of it for some reason. Mark Pollio of The Fort Pierce Tribune based this story about the latest development in a local lawsuit on a legal document he found in the mail at the local circuit court clerk’s office in Fort Pierce. The document explains why the clerk of court said she fired her traffic supervisor in July. The clerk says her employee failed to send more than 8,000 notices of unpaid traffic tickets to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in Tallahassee. The document also said it appeared the traffic supervisor was fixing tickets for friends. The traffic supervisor filed a civil lawsuit against her old supervisor under the Florida Whistleblower Act, claiming she was fired for what she said about her boss to state investigators. A hearing is scheduled for today on whether the traffic supervisor should get her job back before the case goes to trial. She had worked at the clerk’s office for 20 years and “faces a significant loss of benefits and retirement income if the termination stands.” The public records handbook covers mail sent to government agencies on Page 278. Civil lawsuit case files are explained on Page 82.
November 17, 2003 Orange fails to keep jail workers in line: Mark Schleub of the Orlando Sentinel reviewed three years of disciplinary records in Orange County to show “that jail employees account for far more disciplinary complaints than any other county department, even considering the relatively large size of the jail's work force.” The story says “problems have ranged from an Orange County corrections officer arrested on charges of forcing an inmate to perform oral sex to arrests on suspicion of shoplifting and domestic violence. More than one has been caught with a prostitute, including a high-ranking officer who was in uniform at the time. Sexual harassment also is widespread, records show.” Roughly 1,600 people work in the county jail system, which is Florida’s third largest and 17th biggest in the nation. The story points out that vast majority of those workers finish their careers without rule violations or disciplinary problems. But county records show “that many problem employees keep their jobs because of management inaction or aggressive union representation after they are disciplined.” The story includes a box on allegations against jail employees. The public records handbook profiles personnel files of state and local government officials starting on Page 239. More details are provided on personnel records beginning on Page 2.
November 14, 2003 Nine Cape officials fail to file disclosures: Financial disclosure forms help the public keep tabs on potential conflicts of interests of public officials – provided they are filed as required by law. Jeff Hull of the Fort Myers News-Press reports nine members of Cape Coral boards and commissions haven’t filed their disclosures as the law specifies. The story notes the reports are due each year by July 1, and later filers are subject to fines. “The reports detail sources of income, businesses and stocks owned and land holdings of board members and elected officials so that the public can monitor those who spend its tax dollars.” The story says state law doesn’t require members of the local Community Redevelopment Agency to submit disclosures, although city officials are considering changing the local laws to require it. The story points out that some local governments have disclosure requirements exceeding those established by the state. In general, state officials and candidates for public office file with the Florida Commission on Ethics while local officials and candidates submit disclosures to the county Supervisor of Elections office. The public records handbook explores the many types of disclosures and what types of information they offer starting on Page 121.
November 12, 2003 E-mail shows Bush aide mulled voucher lies: Public records can show what happens beyond the surface in government. E-mail records obtained by S.V. Date of The Palm Beach Post indicate Gov. Jeb Bush's office considered fabricating reasons to drop from the state’s voucher program a bankrupt Ocala businessman due to the possible misuse of $400,000 in school voucher money. However, officials abandoned the idea within a day of it being proposed as The Post neared publishing an article about the voucher program. Today’s story says Education Commissioner Jim Horne ultimately accused the Ocala businessman of misusing the money in a letter sent Aug. 22, the same day state officials realized how close The Post was to publishing a detailed article about the man’s scholarship funding organization, the Silver Archer Foundation. An Aug. 24 Post article on the voucher program triggered a probe into both the man and Silver Archer by the state Department of Financial Services, which referred the case to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for a fraud investigation. Aside from the juicy details about the e-mails, the latest story also draws upon federal bankruptcy records. The public records handbook addresses e-mail records on Page 140.
November 11, 2003 Schiavo tapes: snippets, then not much: All kinds of documentation and evidence can become public record in a court battle. Stephen Nohlgren of the St. Petersburg Times reviewed four hours of video on public record at the Pinellas County Courthouse that show “a few powerful images suggesting Terri Schiavo can respond, but also hours where she has no signs of consciousness.” The taped medical examinations that are part of the controversial Schiavo right-to-die case convinced a judge “that Terri Schiavo exists in a hopeless vegetative state and ordered that her feeding tube be removed, as her husband requested. Appellate judges, who also saw all four hours, agreed. Still, there's no denying the haunting power of a few, select moments. They seem to suggest that Schiavo – brain-damaged as she is – retains some shred of awareness and will. They are so disconcerting the Florida Legislature took one look at the snippets, overturned those judicial rulings and empowered the governor to put Schiavo back on the feeding tube.” The story links to video excerpts of the Schiavo tapings plus previous Times stories on this emotional case that has people talking across the country. The public records handbook explores the various kind of information available from civil court proceedings starting on Page 82.
November 10, 2003 Lengthy teacher probes prove costly: Pay records from school systems in Broward and Miami-Dade counties enable Matthew Pinzur of the Miami Herald to reveal how school employees under investigation earn full pay while reassigned to clerical work, costing taxpayers more than $2.7 million in both counties for the 2002-03 school year. The story says most of the nearly 170 school employees being investigated were teachers who received full pay and benefits while doing low-level clerical jobs. The millions figure “did not include the cost of investigations or salaries of the staff members who replaced them in the classroom or school office … Last year's investigations averaged nearly 170 days in Miami-Dade and 150 in Broward on cases ranging from verbal threats and corporal punishment to money laundering and sexual battery. A few have hung around for more than a year.” The costs involved with these employees are an eyebrow-raiser at a time when school budgets are tight. For more on local government payment records, see Page 72 of the public records handbook.
November 8, 2003 Schiavo's wishes recalled in records: Public court records often help chronicle an issue in ways that no other documents can. William R. Levesque of the St. Petersburg Times reviewed hundreds of pages of court transcripts for this story on what family members said were Terri Schiavo’s views and wishes regarding euthanasia. This story is crucial reading for anyone following the national right-to-die debate involving Schiavo, who was left severely brain damaged after collapsing in 1990. The court records reveal compelling testimony from relatives and friends on both sides in various court proceedings over the years involving Schiavo, who records indicate expressed different views at different times on euthanasia. Some of the testimony helped a judge decide in 2000 that Schiavo would not want to be kept alive by artificial means. “Like almost everything else in the case,” the story says, “recollections about Mrs. Schiavo's words are disputed. Some remembrances are called outright inventions.” The public records handbook outlines the types of information that can be found in civil court records starting on Page 82.
November 7, 2003 Hollywood agency’s spending criticized: An important benefit from public records is how they reveal the use of taxpayer dollars. John Holland of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel uses local Community Redevelopment Agency records to underscore how “Hollywood's downtown business district is giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to finance everything from new kitchens to a dance floor,” raising questions about how an incentive program is applied. Funds recently doled out by the agency include “$25,000 to install a kitchen for a restaurant owner who has no prior experience, $12,000 to add flooring to a dance studio and $80,000 to help relocate a restaurant already in the district.” Some local officials say the incentive program needs more guidelines, and an overhaul is coming.
November 6, 2003 Bucs kicker in trouble for lead foot: Traffic court records help Colleen Jenkins of the St. Petersburg Times nail this story about a speeding ticket paid by Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Martin Gramatica. He owed $180 plus court costs and late fees for a speeding ticket he received May 10, the story says. Records show the kicker has two other speeding tickets in recent years. Gramatica’s appearance made for some “dramatica” at the county court clerk’s office as fans gravitated for autographs and pictures. The public records handbook explains how to research county traffic court records and obtain statewide driving histories starting on Page 354.
November 5, 2003
67 schools haven't answered voucher survey:
Kimberly Miller of the Palm Beach Post reports confusion surrounding a new public record in Florida: a questionnaire the state Department of Education is requiring for private schools that accept taxpayer-financed vouchers. “The six-page questionnaire was announced in August following some high-profile incidents with Florida's three voucher programs, including the revelation that money was going to an Islamic school whose director and founder has been indicted for his alleged terrorist ties.” But some schools didn’t fill out the form because they stopped taking vouchers, and some others pleaded ignorance about having to fill out the questionnaire. Others who are on the state’s list for not complying say they aren’t really out of compliance. In part, the form was designed to find out what kind of programs voucher schools offer, whether their teachers are certified and whether the schools are in compliance with state laws, the story says. But public records obtained by the Post indicate lobbyists persuaded state officials to water down some questions and make others “for informational purposes only.
November 4, 2003 Corridor businesses fuel change for Englewood: Occupational licenses and business permits are among the best indicators of business activity in a community. Darla McFarland of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune uses public records on development to show how dozens of new businesses are changing the look of Englewood’s main drag. “From January 2002 to September 2003, Charlotte County issued more than 60 business licenses to new ventures on South McCall from the Myakka River to the Sarasota County line. Most of the businesses are small, owner-operated storefronts, but even the larger, established developments are seeing changes.” In addition, the story notes “Charlotte County records show at least 14 major residential developments applying to the development review committee for Englewood projects since October 2002. Those projects include 483 new condominium units, more than 160 new mobile home sites, and about a dozen single-family lots.” The public records handbook covers building permits on Page 58, occupational licenses on Page 302 and planning commission records on development on Page 306.
November 3, 2003 Building homes: Building problems: This piece by Dan Tracy of the Orlando Sentinel kicks off an innovative home building investigation to run through Nov. 11 in the Sentinel and to be broadcast for three weeks by TV news partner WESH-Newschannel 2. A yearlong investigation by the Sentinel and WESH-NewsChannel 2 found almost 80 percent of 406 new homes built in Central Florida in 2001 were full of problems, including cracks, leaks and mold. Some of the best-known builders in the Orlando region built some of the homes. This effort involved inspections by 15 students from the University of Central Florida supervised by two associate professors and trained by a certified private building inspector with 40 years of experience in residential construction. The inspectors used their own special form for inspections and channeled all their results into a database. Says the story: “The investigation's findings are based in large part on the first statistically valid assessment of new-home construction ever done in Florida and likely the nation.” As might be expected, builders aren’t thrilled by this series, which includes an assortment of pictures, links and reader-friendly results. Check it out!
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E-mail Joe Adams at joe@idiganswers.com