Top
Florida FOI stories
Compiled
by Joe Adams, editorial writer and opinion page editor, The Jacksonville
Times-Union
Author, The Florida Public Records Handbook
School
bus stop next to sexual predator's house
By Sharon Turco, The News Press in Fort-Myers
Published Aug. 23, 2002
An east Fort Myers parent confirmed rumors about a registered sexual predator
living at her children's bus stop by checking the state's sexual predator
and offender database on the Internet. The site, maintained by the Florida
Department of Law Enforcement, includes the address, picture and convictions
of sexual predators and offenders who must register with authorities when
they move into a neighborhood. The site address is www.fdle.state.fl.us/sexual_predators/index.asp.
A state lawmaker who heard about the parent's story has legislation pending
to forbid sexual predators from living near school bus stops.
Dade
undervotes support Bush win
By the Miami Herald staff
Published February 26, 2001
A massive effort by the newspaper - a review of presidential votes in
all 67 Florida counties that had not been detected by counting machines
during the controversial 2000 presidential election - helped answer the
question what the ballots would have showed had not the U.S. Supreme Court
halted a recount. The results: Al Gore's recount effort probably would
have failed to stop George W. Bush from winning Florida and the election.
Because cast ballots are public record in Florida, people nationwide gained
insight into what would likely have happened - and they can thank Florida's
public records laws for the opportunity.
Officials:
Water as we say, not as we did
By Steve Huettel, St. Petersburg Times
Published March 22, 2000
A year's review of water bills in Hillsborough County showed the same
public officials who backed emergency water use restrictions also used
more water than did the average residential household. Customer records
for any public water, electric, sewer or natural gas utility in Florida
are public. They provide an opportunity for the public to monitor how
some of the state's most valuable public resources are used.
Lost
kids found easily
By Sally Kestin, Diana Marrero and Megan O'Matz,
South Florida-Sun Sentinel
Published Aug. 11, 2002
Reporters used court records, police records and other public documents
to locate nine missing children that Florida's child welfare system had
been unable to locate for as long as eight years. The story is but one
of several based on public records the newspaper has written to expose
problems at the Florida's Department of Children and Families, which was
found to delay by four to seven years the filing of some police reports
on missing children.
Minorities
scores only look better
By Dave Weber, Orlando Sentinel
Published April 14, 2002
An analysis of Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results and enrollment
numbers suggests minority students are being placed in special-education
programs so their scores will not be counted for school grades. Public
records such as test results and statistics broaden public awareness and
can heighten the debate about public policy methods, accountability and
effectiveness.
40
percent of homes lack inspections
By Steve Patterson and John Dunbar, The Florida
Times-Union
Published March 20, 1998
An examination of more than 74,000 inspection records showed at least
four of 10 Jacksonville homes built recently had not fully inspected.
The records also indicated the city in numerous cases did not reinspect
homes that had failed previous inspection, resulting in problems that
were never corrected and raising safety issues. The stories prompted an
overhaul of the city's inspection process and also resulted in the city
making home inspection records available on the Internet.
Road
racket
By Cynthia Barnett, Florida Trend magazine
Published August 2000
A review of Florida Department of Transportation project files and a state
audit show state taxpayers spent millions more than projected on highways
as some contractors underbid jobs and then sought profits through supplemental
claims, settlements and lawsuits. Records showed that DOT often agreed
to settle claims generously without proof that contractors deserved the
money. Public access to bid and contract files is essential to keeping
public agencies accountable to the taxpayers they serve.
Taxpayers
foot bill for commissioners trips
By Ted Byrd, The Tampa Tribune
Published Nov. 12, 2001
Travel records from the Hillsborough Clerk of Court's Office show one
county commissioner spent six times more than any of his colleagues on
publicly funded trips over three years. Travel records provide insights
on how elected and non-elected public officials use public money to travel
and whether the trips are warranted or a waste.
Who's
watching the children?
By Ron Matus, Doris Chandler and Gayle Brown, The
Gainesville Sun
Published Aug. 13, 2000
An analysis of thousands of day care inspection reports found 44 percent
of about 70 centers in Alachua County failed at least one routine inspection
over a four-year period. The review showed that one in four centers flunked
two or more inspections. Day cares are licensed and regulated in most
counties by the Florida Department of Children and Families with many
reports online at http://www.state.fl.us/cf_web/.
West
Palm Police overtime costs soar
By Noah Bierman, Palm Beach Post
Published Sept. 5, 1999
Police overtime records indicated $1.9 million spent in one year in West
Palm Beach, nearly triple the amount paid five years earlier and more
than it costs to run the city library. The report also showed more of
a quarter of the money going to a core group representing 10 percent of
the force, which raised more questions about overtime pay. Open records
showing how public money is being allocated can inspire a healthy dialogue
on public policy, practices and decision-making.
Vanity
medicine: Hope, hype and risk
By Fred Schulte and Jenni Bergal, South Florida
Sun-Sentinel
Published Dec. 12, 1999
Licensing and disciplinary records with the Florida Department of Health
helped reveal doctors with histories of disciplinary action or suspect
training flocking to Florida's booming vanity and anti-aging medicine
industry. The report showed such treatments in private offices can result
impossible hazards ranging from serious injury to, in rare cases, death.
The report also indicated that the doctors faced sanctions for misconduct
more often than other doctors and that more than 200 of them either had
no medical malpractice insurance or no ties to hospitals in case of emergencies.
This story and related ones resulted in state legislative action to crack
down on unlicensed doctors. Licensing and regulatory files are invaluable
resources for consumers regardless of the type of professional in question.
Code
enforcers can't keep up
By Nick Mason, Bradenton Herald
Published July 7, 2002
An extensive analysis of code enforcement records uncovered serious problems
with the code enforcement system in Manatee County, including understaffing,
inefficiency and favoritism in issuing citations. The report also found
that many code violations go uncorrected and that code enforcement officers
never issue citations involving county property. Code enforcement records
are valuable resources that help people monitor actions against neighborhood
eyesores and the agencies responsible for cracking down on them.
Amputated
foot worth more than $1 million
By Jackie Ripley, St. Petersburg Times
Published May 12, 1995
Insurance records required to be filed by the state revealed a Tampa hospital
paid more than $1 million to settle a case brought by a man who had the
wrong foot amputated. The hospital and the victim had signed a confidentiality
agreement but the amount was public in state Department of Insurance records.
The settlements, which must be reported by insurance companies regarding
doctors, hospitals, lawyers and others specified by law - enable the public
to make better decisions on which professionals and health facilities
they should choose or keep.
Autopsy:
Suspect died of asphyxia
By Henry Pierson Curtis and Pamela J. Johnson, Orlando
Sentinel
Published Sept. 7, 2002
An autopsy report from the medical examiner shows a man shocked 13 times
with a Taser gun by Orange County sheriff's deputies suffocated from being
strapped facedown on an ambulance stretcher. Autopsy reports are crucial
public resources that explain how people died in unusual - and often controversial
- circumstances. They can also help determine whether public agencies
are upholding the public trust as they should be.
Polk
candidates answer for past brushes with the law
By Bill Rufty, The Ledger in Lakeland
Published Aug. 27, 2000
A background check using Osceola County sheriff's records discounted a
Polk County Commission candidate's claim to the newspaper that he had
never been arrested. The candidate, who later lost in the election, said
he had answered "no" to the question because his charges were in effect
dropped when after he finished his community service work in a pretrial
diversion program. People from all walks of life count on criminal background
checks using local court records and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's
statewide database on arrests or convictions.
Case
file shows how church dealt with troublesome priests
By Peter Franceshina, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Published March 23, 2002
Church documents in public prosecutor case files "offer a rare look into
how the Catholic Church handled abusive priests over most of the last
40 years - sending them to psychiatrists for "rehabilitation" and moving
them to other parishes, while tormented parents struggled to do what church
authorities asked: keep quiet." State prosecutors subpoenaed the church
records in a 1995 investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by a
priest. Officials eventually decided the priest could not charged more
than 30 years after the fact. Prosecutor case files become public records
after the case is officially closed or no longer under active investigation.
Regency
to get Cracker Barrel Store
By Karen Brune Mathis, The Florida Times-Union
Published May 29, 2002
Engineering site plans filed with the city revealed a new Cracker Barrel
restaurant is planned for Jacksonville, even though the company had not
announced the project and would not discuss it at that time. Growth reigns
as one of Florida's most important continuing stories. These records -
along with zoning applications, building permits and land use plan amendments,
among others - allow Floridians to stay informed about proposed construction
near and far.
System
doesn't prevent felons from voting
By the Miami Herald staff
Published Feb. 13, 1998
The newspaper used property records, voter registration records, criminal
records and other public documents to show that at least 2,800 ineligible
felons wee registered to vote in Dade County. This story and others on
voter fraud overturned Miami's mayoral election of 1997, prompted state
law changes and earned the Miami Herald a Pulitzer Prize. Property records
showing ownership and appraised value are some of Florida's most practical
and most used public records, with many county property appraisers posting
the documents online.
Lobbyists
bundle their contributions
By Paige St. John, Gannett News Service
Published July 13, 2002
Campaign contribution records show how Florida associations and companies
pool the money they give to political candidates and causes to bypass
a $500 spending limit. Elected officials and political action committees
file regular reports on the contributions they receive and the source
of them. These records, filed either with the Secretary of State's Office
or the local Supervisor of Election's Office, help the public evaluate
the relationship between campaign contributions and how decisions are
made by their elected officials and public office seekers.
Many
errors found in 'nutritional facts' on food labels
By Mitch Lipka, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Published Sept. 2, 2001
An analysis of lab results from the Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer services discovered nearly 1,000 food items with inaccurate
nutritional labels. The story notes: "Some of the mistakes are so bad
that people on sugar-free diets were eating spoonfuls of sugar without
knowing it. People hoped to eat lean are ingesting fat. And those counting
their carbohydrates will have to redo their math and add a whole lot more
to get the right total." The report also noted that the department rarely
made its testing findings public. Food for thought: Public records are
great friends of consumers.
