Keeping up with the Hillsborough County Board of Education has been rather interesting. Beginning in August the Tribune made it look like they were closing three schools. Those three schools are part of a program related specifically to Title I schools, which are schools that receive additional federal funding for having high poverty student population. Although each school’s tests scored made gains, they did not make enough gains. They have also expanded things into each school. In Middleton, the School Board is identifying specific resources they will need, and targeting the community resources and groups that support Middleton. They stated that it is extremely important to look at every school in terms of instruction, attendance, and connecting with parents. In Franklin, they are looking for qualified teachers and they are stressing this to the parents in a personal way and lastly in Sulphur Springs, they are stating that the parents have great need for support and the importance of being on time and attendance needs to be understood. They will have a partnership with the United Way to bring resources into the community. They will also have Saturday school available. These three schools are what I saw most coverage about in the Tribune. There was a worry and an understanding that these three schools were closing down, and they are not. The School Board is doing everything they can to improve the schools.
Later on there was update out in the Tribune that Superintendent Elia discussed what they are doing at three “intervene” schools. So I was able to get an update on the three schools that were possibly closing according to the Tribune. Elia states that in Middleton they are adding: EXCELerator, AVID program, magnet program, Urban Teaching Academy, Urban Debate League, Cosmetology program; additional units in math, reading, and ESE; Math mentoring etc. In Franklin, they are adding rolling workshops to increase scientific thinking and understanding, enhancing reading comprehension and writing, CRISS, theme integration, academic rigor, data driven instruction, and technology infusion. Lastly, I was update on Sulphur Springs, they are adding before and after school tutorials, Saturday school, additional staffing training, highly qualified teachers, TA added in science Spectrum lab, and HOST program.
In October, three local students were acknowledged; they represented the school district at their national competition in Orlando, hosted by Disney World. They were Alfred Sheppard from Blake High School 10th grade; he won a gold metal in a music competition, $2,000, a computer, and a $20,000 scholarship to the Berkley College of Music. Second was Jasmine Roberts from Wharton High School 10th grade; she won a silver medal in microbiology, also $1,500, and a computer. And in third is Jasmine Myers, from Stewart Middle Magnet School 6th grader, she was one of the four in the nation selected to attend the Maryland Institute of College of Art next summer.
In November The Board of education elected Carol Kurdell chair and Susan Valdes vice chair. They also sore in elected and re-elected Board members, they were: The Honorable E.J. Salcines: Susan Valdes, Jack Lamb, Doretha Edgecomb, and Carol Kurell. Over all Hillsborough County Board of Education had a lot of interesting things going on from October through November and looking forward to finding out what else is to come.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Pat Bean
Patricia Bean is the Country Administrator. She became the County Administrator in 2003. She has a B.A. degree in sociology from Winthrop University and also has her Masters in Public Administration from the University of South Florida. Pat has served for many different programs, organizations, and groups. Some are: A two-year term as the President of the National Association of County Administrators. Pat also served on a National Advisory Board for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and she also served as an evaluator for the Kennedy School at Harvard’s “Innovations in American Government” Program. She served as a Deputy County Administrator for twelve years. She was in a little over thirty years experience in Hillsborough County government. Twelve of those years in county’s human services, including health care, Children’s issues and programs for the elderly. She was also a part of the development of the national award winning Health Care Program, and she served as Assistant County Administrator over Public Works, Fire Rescue, Planning and Growth of Management, and Solid Waste.
After searching the Hillsborough county Tax Collector website, I found information on Pat’s Real Estate and Tangible property Tax information. Pat is up to date on paying all her taxes, from 2001-2007. Her property location is 2805 W Morrison Ave, and the assessed value of her property is $222,456, the Just Value of Pat’s property is $417,907, the exemption amount is $25,000, the Ad Volorem Taxes is $4,229, Non-Advalorem is $59.76. Her total tax due for the year is $4,289.54 which she is also up to date on and paid. With the information provided by the Hillsborough County Tax Collector website, I see that Pat Bean’s property taxes are complete year to date. I also searched the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s office and Pat Bean has a clean record.
I also found a letter to Pat Bean from Pat Frank Clerk of the Circuit Court/Comptroller. It was written May 1, 2008. It was in regards to the 2009 Budget for the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Pat Frank also included performance measures and proposed budget reductions submitted by the Clerk of the Board Departments. Pat Frank stated to Pat Bean that the revised 2009 budget represents a 3.45% increase over the 2008 budget and an average annual increase from 2007 budget of 2.56%. Pat Frank also mentioned that because Amendment 1 passed in January, she advised all department directors of the cuts they would be making and the impact if 5 percent and 10 percent reductions to the director’s budgets were necessary. They were also able to reduce the planned budget by almost $300,000 by accepting the certain proposals. According to Pat Frank in her letter these are a few of the proposals mentioned in her letter to Pat Bean: 1. Elimination of the Clerk’s Facilities Director position and reassigning the duties to other staff in Clerk’s Administration. While the duties will be shared, one position will be designated as the facilities issues liaison with your Real Estate Department. 5. Reduction in Banking Service Fees of thirty eight percent. Our new banking partner, Wachovia, has lower fees than our former banking partners, Bank of America. In addition to all the reductions Pat Frank stated that two administrative support positions were also eliminated. Due to the alignment of duties and increased cross training, three positions were eliminated in Clerk to the Board Departments-one each in System Support, BOCC Finance, and Mail Services. Pat Frank stated to Pat Bean that it was important that she understand the assumptions used in the development of this revised budget for the office. If there were any assumptions that needed to be changed, Pat Frank would have to revise the budget first. Over all Pat Frank’s letter to Pat Bean was extremely detailed and informative on the budget for 2009.
The next public record, were the minutes of a meeting of the National Association of County Administrators. This is one of the Associations that Pat Bean served in for two years. The meeting was called to order by the President who is Pat Bean, She welcomed everyone to the NACA General Membership Meeting. Pat mentioned on the successful idea Exchange that took place the day before they met. There were thirty-nine people in attendance. Everyone participated in the meeting, but the section that Pat Bean interacted was when she made a suggestion membership for ICMA and NACA. IT was determined that is was feasible. Pat suggested that everyone should help with affiliate membership recruitment. Then there was a motion to accept and approve the membership report. Motion was approved. Pt Bean ended with, stating that she was pleased with the accuracy of the roster of members as it is being brought up to date. This is being accomplished by Barbara Yuhas. She felt there is a need for the entire membership of NACA to assist with affiliate membership recruitment. The results of the meeting are listed as: List Serve option for members was approved. Information will be able to be shared or gathered by participants. The project is planned to be operational within the following months. Creation of a website, it will create organization. With this document I found that Pat Bean was involved, she did and does attend meetings and she does express her opinion on how she feels things should work.
The next public record that I found is an article about the Hillsborough County Communicator. The title of this article is “Keeping you informed about County Government”, published in November of 2004. The Hillsborough County Communicator is yet another organization that Pat Bean served. This is published every month by the Communications Department to inform residents about the programs, services and activities of their County government. In this article she wrote a letter addressed to Hillsborough County Residents in regards to the four hurricanes that hit Florida. Throughout the letter she thanks the residents and businesses for heeding the requests in making all the preparations for the hurricane. She also mentions that Hillsborough County was fortunate compared to other counties. Pat also reassured all residents by stating that the Citizen Action and Citizen Response Centers were there for them during the storm. If anyone had any questions about county government services, they can contact the Citizen Action Center.
On the Clerk of the Circuit Court website I found a record stating the 2008 Lobbyist Activity Report. According the website Hillsborough County Lobbying Ordinance 07-8 requires that all lobbyists register the time of any private meeting with a member of the Board of County Commissioners, the County Administrator, any Assistant County Administrator, any Department Head, the County Attorney, or any Chief Assistant County Attorney, regarding any item which is pending before the Board of County Commissioners or being considered by the aforementioned county employees for presentation or recommendation to the County Commissioners. A first violation of this ordinance shall result in the issuance of a warning by the County Attorney's Office. Each subsequent violation shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $500. For the 2008 report Pat bean was registered under Faye Boatright for the subject of finance/financial transactions, and principal Morgan Stanley & Co, also under Pegeen Hanrahan for the subject ELAPP Funding and the principal Trust for Public Land. Pat was also registered under William Lorenzen and Vincent Marchetti.
Finally, Pat Bean’s Campaign Contributions and Donations that I found were on The Huffington Post states that Pat Bean contributed to Hilary Clinton in 2008 for $425.
After searching the Hillsborough county Tax Collector website, I found information on Pat’s Real Estate and Tangible property Tax information. Pat is up to date on paying all her taxes, from 2001-2007. Her property location is 2805 W Morrison Ave, and the assessed value of her property is $222,456, the Just Value of Pat’s property is $417,907, the exemption amount is $25,000, the Ad Volorem Taxes is $4,229, Non-Advalorem is $59.76. Her total tax due for the year is $4,289.54 which she is also up to date on and paid. With the information provided by the Hillsborough County Tax Collector website, I see that Pat Bean’s property taxes are complete year to date. I also searched the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s office and Pat Bean has a clean record.
I also found a letter to Pat Bean from Pat Frank Clerk of the Circuit Court/Comptroller. It was written May 1, 2008. It was in regards to the 2009 Budget for the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Pat Frank also included performance measures and proposed budget reductions submitted by the Clerk of the Board Departments. Pat Frank stated to Pat Bean that the revised 2009 budget represents a 3.45% increase over the 2008 budget and an average annual increase from 2007 budget of 2.56%. Pat Frank also mentioned that because Amendment 1 passed in January, she advised all department directors of the cuts they would be making and the impact if 5 percent and 10 percent reductions to the director’s budgets were necessary. They were also able to reduce the planned budget by almost $300,000 by accepting the certain proposals. According to Pat Frank in her letter these are a few of the proposals mentioned in her letter to Pat Bean: 1. Elimination of the Clerk’s Facilities Director position and reassigning the duties to other staff in Clerk’s Administration. While the duties will be shared, one position will be designated as the facilities issues liaison with your Real Estate Department. 5. Reduction in Banking Service Fees of thirty eight percent. Our new banking partner, Wachovia, has lower fees than our former banking partners, Bank of America. In addition to all the reductions Pat Frank stated that two administrative support positions were also eliminated. Due to the alignment of duties and increased cross training, three positions were eliminated in Clerk to the Board Departments-one each in System Support, BOCC Finance, and Mail Services. Pat Frank stated to Pat Bean that it was important that she understand the assumptions used in the development of this revised budget for the office. If there were any assumptions that needed to be changed, Pat Frank would have to revise the budget first. Over all Pat Frank’s letter to Pat Bean was extremely detailed and informative on the budget for 2009.
The next public record, were the minutes of a meeting of the National Association of County Administrators. This is one of the Associations that Pat Bean served in for two years. The meeting was called to order by the President who is Pat Bean, She welcomed everyone to the NACA General Membership Meeting. Pat mentioned on the successful idea Exchange that took place the day before they met. There were thirty-nine people in attendance. Everyone participated in the meeting, but the section that Pat Bean interacted was when she made a suggestion membership for ICMA and NACA. IT was determined that is was feasible. Pat suggested that everyone should help with affiliate membership recruitment. Then there was a motion to accept and approve the membership report. Motion was approved. Pt Bean ended with, stating that she was pleased with the accuracy of the roster of members as it is being brought up to date. This is being accomplished by Barbara Yuhas. She felt there is a need for the entire membership of NACA to assist with affiliate membership recruitment. The results of the meeting are listed as: List Serve option for members was approved. Information will be able to be shared or gathered by participants. The project is planned to be operational within the following months. Creation of a website, it will create organization. With this document I found that Pat Bean was involved, she did and does attend meetings and she does express her opinion on how she feels things should work.
The next public record that I found is an article about the Hillsborough County Communicator. The title of this article is “Keeping you informed about County Government”, published in November of 2004. The Hillsborough County Communicator is yet another organization that Pat Bean served. This is published every month by the Communications Department to inform residents about the programs, services and activities of their County government. In this article she wrote a letter addressed to Hillsborough County Residents in regards to the four hurricanes that hit Florida. Throughout the letter she thanks the residents and businesses for heeding the requests in making all the preparations for the hurricane. She also mentions that Hillsborough County was fortunate compared to other counties. Pat also reassured all residents by stating that the Citizen Action and Citizen Response Centers were there for them during the storm. If anyone had any questions about county government services, they can contact the Citizen Action Center.
On the Clerk of the Circuit Court website I found a record stating the 2008 Lobbyist Activity Report. According the website Hillsborough County Lobbying Ordinance 07-8 requires that all lobbyists register the time of any private meeting with a member of the Board of County Commissioners, the County Administrator, any Assistant County Administrator, any Department Head, the County Attorney, or any Chief Assistant County Attorney, regarding any item which is pending before the Board of County Commissioners or being considered by the aforementioned county employees for presentation or recommendation to the County Commissioners. A first violation of this ordinance shall result in the issuance of a warning by the County Attorney's Office. Each subsequent violation shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $500. For the 2008 report Pat bean was registered under Faye Boatright for the subject of finance/financial transactions, and principal Morgan Stanley & Co, also under Pegeen Hanrahan for the subject ELAPP Funding and the principal Trust for Public Land. Pat was also registered under William Lorenzen and Vincent Marchetti.
Finally, Pat Bean’s Campaign Contributions and Donations that I found were on The Huffington Post states that Pat Bean contributed to Hilary Clinton in 2008 for $425.
*Documents turned in *
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Purchasing Process Project
For the Purchasing Project I spoke to Jeff Hurst from the Hillsborough County School Board. Jeff was extremely knowledgeable about what he did. He was willing to give more than what I needed to know. He explained in detail, step by step the process of purchasing and choosing a school bus for Hillsborough County Schools.
Jeff started out by mentioning that there is a committee that gets together to decide what features will be included on the particular buses that are being purchased. Jeff stated that the features today are very different from what they were in 1994, so there are more details to cover in these meetings. They also take into consideration what has occurred in previous years. These incidents play a huge role on how the committee decides on what kind of bus they will choose. When it comes time to choosing the bus the committee must go through a bidding process; this bidding process is called a state contract bid. He mentioned how years back the process was easier and did not involve so many aspects and concerns. Jeff mentioned that the bidding process was the best way because that is how they got the best price.
There are three manufacturers in Florida that distribute these buses and they are: Freight Liner, International Bus, and Blue Bird. The one that they use most often to purchase the buses is International Bus. These manufactures make all different kinds, from sixteen passengers to 90 passenger buses. Most of the buses in Hillsborough County are their standard, which carries sixty five to seventy passengers. The features on these buses also vary. Air Conditioning adds $10,000 to the cost of the bus, now they are adding video surveillance, they are installing cameras on the outside of the bus to see how many cars do not obey the stop signs, there is also a feature of GPS to track where the buses are at all times, some also have wheel chair capabilities. These are only a few of the features that are now available for school buses.
The prices of these buses have also increased through the years; in 1994 a standard bus cost $30,000, now they cost around $110,000. The features have a lot to do with the price increase along with inflation. Jeff stated that every year the county purchases 90 school buses. They are buying to replace the buses that have already met their sixteen-year mark. They do not keep any buses for more than that. As of right now there are 1425 school buses. Of the 1425 only 1000 of them are used daily. The remainders are used as back ups, are almost at their sixteen-year mark, or are brand new and have not been assigned. Over all, Jeff was extremely informative and willing to talk, he also stated that he knew what students go through, he had a daughter a USF.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Public Meeting #3
For Public meeting number three I attended Court Room 15 of Judge Walter Heinrich. Fist thing I noticed that was neat was that this court room was a closed circuit television. This is what we saw when we were given the tour at Orient Road Jail. There are several preliminary cases that go on through out the day here.
The first case that was being presented was a mother that was charged for child neglect. As I watched on the monitor the woman’s reaction, she was banned from seeing her children but her bond was reduced. I became even more engaged on what was going on.
The next case was a man by the name of Christopher he was in for burglary and trespassing, and drug charges; his bond was also reduced. This same process went on for about twenty minutes. I noticed a pattern that all these cases were asking for their bonds to be reduced. Some were reduced and some were denied.
Around noon is when they took a break for lunch. I was lucky that Judge Heinrich was nice enough to speak to us a little about what he does on a day to day basis, and how long he has been in the field.
Judge Walter Heinrich has been a Judge in Hillsborough County for twenty years. He begins his day at 8:00am and that is when he deals with all the inmates that have been in jail for less than 24 hours. I learned that when an individual is arrested they have the right to stand before a judge within the first 24 hours. That is what Judge Heinrich does from 8:00am till around 10:00am. Then there is a short break, around 10:30am they begin cases again. This is what I witnessed, such as misdemeanors traffic violations, drug abuse, and those who are looking to reduce bond.
Another question that we asked was if this career, position as judge affected him emotionally. The judge responded with “of course it does”, but he does not let it affect what he is doing, and how he presents himself in front of the inmates and other court members.
Over all the judge was extremely knowledgeable in what he does, very kind in taking the time to speak to us during his lunch break and I learned a lot about the court system especially Closed Circuit Television.
The first case that was being presented was a mother that was charged for child neglect. As I watched on the monitor the woman’s reaction, she was banned from seeing her children but her bond was reduced. I became even more engaged on what was going on.
The next case was a man by the name of Christopher he was in for burglary and trespassing, and drug charges; his bond was also reduced. This same process went on for about twenty minutes. I noticed a pattern that all these cases were asking for their bonds to be reduced. Some were reduced and some were denied.
Around noon is when they took a break for lunch. I was lucky that Judge Heinrich was nice enough to speak to us a little about what he does on a day to day basis, and how long he has been in the field.
Judge Walter Heinrich has been a Judge in Hillsborough County for twenty years. He begins his day at 8:00am and that is when he deals with all the inmates that have been in jail for less than 24 hours. I learned that when an individual is arrested they have the right to stand before a judge within the first 24 hours. That is what Judge Heinrich does from 8:00am till around 10:00am. Then there is a short break, around 10:30am they begin cases again. This is what I witnessed, such as misdemeanors traffic violations, drug abuse, and those who are looking to reduce bond.
Another question that we asked was if this career, position as judge affected him emotionally. The judge responded with “of course it does”, but he does not let it affect what he is doing, and how he presents himself in front of the inmates and other court members.
Over all the judge was extremely knowledgeable in what he does, very kind in taking the time to speak to us during his lunch break and I learned a lot about the court system especially Closed Circuit Television.
Other Contacts:
State Attorney-Linda
Circuit Court- Cookie
Public Defendant-(Judge did not remember name)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Trial
Today I attended three trails. What an experience! I have never been in a court room setting; I have only seen it in movies or on TV, so today was a real eye opener and a great trip! The first trail that I attended was with Judge Daniel L Perry, and the first case was with Eric Moore he was born on November 22, 1987. He was in there for violating his probation; on October 7th he was caught using marijuana. He then read off quickly what he no longer had a right to because of his violation. This was hard to understand but what I got from what he said was the Mr. Moore gave up the right to hearing, cross examine, and appeal because of this violation. He then moved into asking where Mr. Moore bought the marijuana from, Mr. Moore then proceeded with stating the name of the individual where he got it from; Anthony Brooks. Judge Perry then posted his picture up on a monitor and asked Moore to confirm if that was him, Moore confirmed and Judge Perry stated that he was let out on bond. In the end Judge Perry stated that his probation would be modified, he needed to get a 40hour job, no drugs, no alcohol, nothing not even Nyquil without a doctor’s note.
The next trail that I attended was with Judge Rogers Padgett. This was civil court, and it was a sexual offender. I was in this court for a short period of time because I was approached by an officer that I was speaking to earlier; he advised that there was a trial going on in court room 16 about an attempted murder. So I was interested, I then left the sexual offender trail and entered the attempted murder case. The judge for this trail was William Fuente. This is what was interesting, and eye opening. I was witnessing everything, the evidence, the jury, the judge, objections; it definitely was a reality check. But interesting, exciting, and informative! This trial then had to break around 11:55 for lunch. Over all the experience was fascinating!
The next trail that I attended was with Judge Rogers Padgett. This was civil court, and it was a sexual offender. I was in this court for a short period of time because I was approached by an officer that I was speaking to earlier; he advised that there was a trial going on in court room 16 about an attempted murder. So I was interested, I then left the sexual offender trail and entered the attempted murder case. The judge for this trail was William Fuente. This is what was interesting, and eye opening. I was witnessing everything, the evidence, the jury, the judge, objections; it definitely was a reality check. But interesting, exciting, and informative! This trial then had to break around 11:55 for lunch. Over all the experience was fascinating!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Midterm Question 3
Searching for a candidate like Victor Crist is something that needs much investigation and lots of research to find out interesting and accurate facts about this candidate. The first place that I would look is www.moneyline.cq.com. Here I would see the pattern of his contributions, to whom, how much he gave, and when. I would also see how many of employees are contributing and their pattern of contributing. I would look closely at his employers; see if they are registered voters, and their turnout rates. I would also look at a Florida Division of Elections to investigate contributions. I would also visit The Florida Senate site which is flsenate.gov. Here I can get biography on Visor Crist and I see honors and awards, other public service, legislative service, and affiliations.
The next site that I would search is the county tax collector website. Here I can find interesting information about what property Crist has owns, currently owns, and cost of what he owns. I can also see if he is up to date with his taxes. Again, this is more information that I can use to write about Crist in detail that would be interesting to the viewer or reader. Motor vehicle, business taxes, financial reports are just a few of the documentations that we have access to. This site is extremely useful and their vision is to be an exemplary government organization. Their mission is to exceed customer expectations through continuous innovation in performing the required duties of their office with the highest level of ethics and integrity while empowering and challenging our workforce.
I would then visit opensecrets.org. This site is a great tool that I can use to inform citizens about how money in politics affects their lives. Another point that this site concentrates on is empowering voters and activists by providing unbiased information. The point that is mentioned in their mission statement is to advocate for a transparent and responsive government. They pursue their mission largely through their award-winning website, which is the most comprehensive resource for campaign contributions, lobbying data and analysis available anywhere. And for other organizations and news media, CRP's exclusive data powers their online features tracking money in politics counting cash to make change. Another great point about this site is that it is not only allowed the Center to expand its reach beyond those willing to invest in its voluminous and expensive publication, but also greatly accelerated the timing and depth of its analysis, making the Center’s research more readily available to those making decisions about candidates, policy and the influence of money. For the 1998 elections, the Center produced online contribution profiles for every federal candidate well before Election Day. For the 2000 elections, the Center unveiled several new groundbreaking features on OpenSecrets.org, including detailed contribution profiles of more than 80 industries in the U.S. economy, fund-raising breakdowns for federal party committees, and analyses of contributions from special interests to members of specific congressional committees. My main concern in reporting this story is getting the facts out there, and researching every search engine available to me.
The next site that I would search is the county tax collector website. Here I can find interesting information about what property Crist has owns, currently owns, and cost of what he owns. I can also see if he is up to date with his taxes. Again, this is more information that I can use to write about Crist in detail that would be interesting to the viewer or reader. Motor vehicle, business taxes, financial reports are just a few of the documentations that we have access to. This site is extremely useful and their vision is to be an exemplary government organization. Their mission is to exceed customer expectations through continuous innovation in performing the required duties of their office with the highest level of ethics and integrity while empowering and challenging our workforce.
I would then visit opensecrets.org. This site is a great tool that I can use to inform citizens about how money in politics affects their lives. Another point that this site concentrates on is empowering voters and activists by providing unbiased information. The point that is mentioned in their mission statement is to advocate for a transparent and responsive government. They pursue their mission largely through their award-winning website, which is the most comprehensive resource for campaign contributions, lobbying data and analysis available anywhere. And for other organizations and news media, CRP's exclusive data powers their online features tracking money in politics counting cash to make change. Another great point about this site is that it is not only allowed the Center to expand its reach beyond those willing to invest in its voluminous and expensive publication, but also greatly accelerated the timing and depth of its analysis, making the Center’s research more readily available to those making decisions about candidates, policy and the influence of money. For the 1998 elections, the Center produced online contribution profiles for every federal candidate well before Election Day. For the 2000 elections, the Center unveiled several new groundbreaking features on OpenSecrets.org, including detailed contribution profiles of more than 80 industries in the U.S. economy, fund-raising breakdowns for federal party committees, and analyses of contributions from special interests to members of specific congressional committees. My main concern in reporting this story is getting the facts out there, and researching every search engine available to me.
Midterm Question 2
Florida's Sunshine laws is something that every person has been granted, it is the Constitutional right to inspect or copy any public record with some exemptions, and the Sunshine Law provides a right of access to government proceedings at both the state and local levels. These essential laws afford citizens of our state the ability to see behind the curtain of government and remain involved in the processes that affect their lives. Without this access there is little accountability, and accountability is vital for good government. The Attorney General's Office plays a key role in keeping Florida's government open to all Floridians. The office is charged with mediating disputes involving access to public records and provides a mediation program to that effect - a resource which can be requested by any member of the public and was put into action more than 75 times in 2007. The mediation program involves an impartial individual who encourages and facilitates the resolution of a dispute involving access to public records. The mediators assist the participants in fostering joint problem-solving and exploring settlement alternatives. By allowing parties to resolve issues in an informal mediation process, we prevent expensive and time-consuming litigation which is often not an option for a citizen who is merely trying to hold his or her government accountable and responsible for its actions.
The state policy is that Florida's Sunshine law, section 286.011, Florida Statutes, requires that all meetings of state agencies and local government boards or commissions be open to the public unless there is a specific statutory exemption. This Law applies to any meeting of two or more officials of any public agency, any private company doing business on behalf of a public agency, and any advisory or committee with the power or authority to make recommendations to public agency. The functions of a board or committee can trigger application of the Sunshine law.
There must also be reasonable notice, or sufficient notice so as to inform members of the public who might be interested in attending the meeting. For example a clear posting of the timing of the meeting, the placement, and the content of the meeting; there must also be minutes of all meetings, and generally minutes become a public record at the conclusion of that particular meeting. Members of the public and press cannot be asked to leave an open meeting unless that individual or group becomes disruptive during the meeting. Cameras or video equipment that is not disrupting anyone can not be prohibited.
There are exemptions of openness in Florida, meaning that all meetings between two or more members of the same board or commission are presumed subject to the Sunshine Law unless there are specific statutory exemptions. Only the legislature can create an exemption to the law. An unintentional violation of the Sunshine Law is a noncommercial infraction, punishable by a fine of up to five hundred dollars. A knowing violation of the law is a second degree misdemeanor, carrying a jail term of up to sixty days. Any action taken at a meeting held in violation of the sunshine law will be voided by the court.
Access to public records in Florida are listed in Chapter 119, Florida Statues, it stipulates hat all state, county, and municipal records shall be open for inspection and copying by any person. According to the first amendment foundation an public record is all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recording, data processing software, or other material, regardless of physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission… in connection with the transaction of the official business by any agency [s.119,011(1),F.S.] A public agency may charge no more than fifteen cents a page for paper copies, plus an additional five cents for two-sided copies.
There are two presumption of openness under the Public Record Law, meaning that all records are presumed subject to public investigation and copying unless there is a specific statutory exemption. The denial must be put in writing if requested. And lastly there are two types of sanctions provided for violation of the Public Records Law. One a public officer who knowingly violates 119.07(1),F.S. is subject to suspension and removal or impeachment, and is guilty of a first degree misdemeanor punishable by a definite term of imprisonment not exceeding one year and a fine of up to one thousand dollars. And the other type of sanction is when an officer violates any provision of chapter 119 is guilty of a noncriminal infraction, punishable by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, a willful and knowing violation of any provision is a first degree misdemeanor.
According to chapter 119 medical history records and information related to health or property insurance provided to the Department of Community Affairs, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, a county, a municipality, or a local housing finance agency by an applicant for or a participant in a federal, state, or local housing assistance program are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a). Governmental entities or their agents shall have access to such confidential and exempt records and information for the purpose of auditing federal, state, or local housing programs or housing assistance programs. Such confidential and exempt records and information may be used in any administrative or judicial proceeding, provided such records are kept confidential and exempt unless otherwise ordered by a court.
According to the Florida Governor's Commission website http://www.flgov.com/og_commission_home, On June 19, 2007, Governor Charlie Crist issued Executive Order 07-107 , creating the the Commission on Open Government Reform. The nine member commission has been created within the Governor's Office of Open Government to review, evaluate, and issue recommendations regarding Florida's public records and public meetings laws. The Commission will review the public's right to access government meetings and records according to Section 119 and Section 286.011 of the Florida Statutes, as well as Article I. "Florida's Sunshine Laws are among the strongest in the nation and give every citizen access to information necessary for participating in the democratic process," said Governor Crist. "The Commission on Open Government will help ensure that all levels of government are accessible to the people."
In one of his first official acts after his inauguration, Governor Crist issued Executive Order 07-01 on January 3, 2007, and created the Office of Open Government. The office is designed to help Floridians access information about state government and ensure that government's actions are always transparent and accountable to taxpayers.
The state policy is that Florida's Sunshine law, section 286.011, Florida Statutes, requires that all meetings of state agencies and local government boards or commissions be open to the public unless there is a specific statutory exemption. This Law applies to any meeting of two or more officials of any public agency, any private company doing business on behalf of a public agency, and any advisory or committee with the power or authority to make recommendations to public agency. The functions of a board or committee can trigger application of the Sunshine law.
There must also be reasonable notice, or sufficient notice so as to inform members of the public who might be interested in attending the meeting. For example a clear posting of the timing of the meeting, the placement, and the content of the meeting; there must also be minutes of all meetings, and generally minutes become a public record at the conclusion of that particular meeting. Members of the public and press cannot be asked to leave an open meeting unless that individual or group becomes disruptive during the meeting. Cameras or video equipment that is not disrupting anyone can not be prohibited.
There are exemptions of openness in Florida, meaning that all meetings between two or more members of the same board or commission are presumed subject to the Sunshine Law unless there are specific statutory exemptions. Only the legislature can create an exemption to the law. An unintentional violation of the Sunshine Law is a noncommercial infraction, punishable by a fine of up to five hundred dollars. A knowing violation of the law is a second degree misdemeanor, carrying a jail term of up to sixty days. Any action taken at a meeting held in violation of the sunshine law will be voided by the court.
Access to public records in Florida are listed in Chapter 119, Florida Statues, it stipulates hat all state, county, and municipal records shall be open for inspection and copying by any person. According to the first amendment foundation an public record is all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recording, data processing software, or other material, regardless of physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission… in connection with the transaction of the official business by any agency [s.119,011(1),F.S.] A public agency may charge no more than fifteen cents a page for paper copies, plus an additional five cents for two-sided copies.
There are two presumption of openness under the Public Record Law, meaning that all records are presumed subject to public investigation and copying unless there is a specific statutory exemption. The denial must be put in writing if requested. And lastly there are two types of sanctions provided for violation of the Public Records Law. One a public officer who knowingly violates 119.07(1),F.S. is subject to suspension and removal or impeachment, and is guilty of a first degree misdemeanor punishable by a definite term of imprisonment not exceeding one year and a fine of up to one thousand dollars. And the other type of sanction is when an officer violates any provision of chapter 119 is guilty of a noncriminal infraction, punishable by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, a willful and knowing violation of any provision is a first degree misdemeanor.
According to chapter 119 medical history records and information related to health or property insurance provided to the Department of Community Affairs, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, a county, a municipality, or a local housing finance agency by an applicant for or a participant in a federal, state, or local housing assistance program are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a). Governmental entities or their agents shall have access to such confidential and exempt records and information for the purpose of auditing federal, state, or local housing programs or housing assistance programs. Such confidential and exempt records and information may be used in any administrative or judicial proceeding, provided such records are kept confidential and exempt unless otherwise ordered by a court.
According to the Florida Governor's Commission website http://www.flgov.com/og_commission_home, On June 19, 2007, Governor Charlie Crist issued Executive Order 07-107 , creating the the Commission on Open Government Reform. The nine member commission has been created within the Governor's Office of Open Government to review, evaluate, and issue recommendations regarding Florida's public records and public meetings laws. The Commission will review the public's right to access government meetings and records according to Section 119 and Section 286.011 of the Florida Statutes, as well as Article I. "Florida's Sunshine Laws are among the strongest in the nation and give every citizen access to information necessary for participating in the democratic process," said Governor Crist. "The Commission on Open Government will help ensure that all levels of government are accessible to the people."
In one of his first official acts after his inauguration, Governor Crist issued Executive Order 07-01 on January 3, 2007, and created the Office of Open Government. The office is designed to help Floridians access information about state government and ensure that government's actions are always transparent and accountable to taxpayers.
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