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.

Other Contacts:

State Attorney-Linda

Circuit Court- Cookie

Public Defendant-(Judge did not remember name)

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!

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.

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.

MidTerm Question 1

In the Al Zimmerman case of Child Pornography is a sensitive one because it deals with children. When dealing with children it is a whole different situation because the information on the child is not public record. Only parents/guardians, officers, have access to the information about the child. The information of anyone under the age of eighteen is not considered public record. So in Zimmerman’s case we can get information on him but not any information on the child that was in the situation.
The first documentation that I would get a hold of is the Police report. I would go down to the Sheriff’s office and get the report. I can also go online (http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/), here I can search in detail or as broad as I would like. I want o familiarize myself with this case. If I have the Police record I can be specific in my search. I put in Mr. Zimmerman’s name and I am given all his information. Once Zimmerman is booked all f his information is available on the database. Other documentation that I would get for my news report is the booking information, property, which they take pictures of so I would be able to use that picture as part of my story if he had anything that suggested his crime.
I could also get an incident report form the Sheriff’s office. Record copies of incident reports filled with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office can be obtained from the Records Section; and is released according to Florida Statute 119.00, Public Records. I can also look up criminal arrest records and that Requests should be directed to the Identification Section located at 2306 North Falkenburg Road, telephone # 247-0062.
I would also want to visit the Clerk of Circuit Court office; I want to see if there are any court date for Zimmerman, the bail out information and any other cases that this man has been involved in. Here I can also investigate if this man is married or has gone through a divorce, again other tactics to see Zimmerman’s pattern and his way of life. I want to get as much information that would lead to such a horrible crime. I would go to the Tax collector website; there I will get information about where he lives, property he owns, and how he follows up on his taxes. I can get a pattern on how this man works and his trends.
The individuals that I would want to interview are the officer who made the arrest. He or she can give me specifics on how they found this information, what happen during the arrest process, or any information that they might know.
I would also want to interview family members, if there are any. I would ask them if they had any idea what was going on. Again, I would get as much information as possible, even though this would be a tough subject for the family members as a reporter I would do everything ethically possible to get the family members to talk.
I would move into getting past employers to talk about Zimmerman, even people who worked with him. I would ask questions regarding his behavior at work, did they ever see him interact with minors, had they ever seen him outside of work, was there anything unusual about they way he acted at work. These are a few of the questions that would ask employers and people who worked with them. I would also like to speak to the individual who actually hired Zimmerman; I would want to know what qualifications Zimmerman had to get his position.
The last documentation that I would look at newspaper articles that were written about Zimmerman; I would google Zimmerman and see what interesting articles were written about him. On TBO http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/oct/17/na-dcf-new-child-porn-victims-not-state-clients/news-breaking/ we find that The state had paid $500,000 in a legal settlement for that victim, who will be eligible to receive therapy until he turns 40, a DCF spokeswoman said. This article is also recent so I know I can use this information to make the story that more exciting and interesting. With this newspaper article we get a sense about what is happening to the child/minor that went through this horrific situation. I would want to stick to my reliable sources like the circuit courts, and the sheriff’s office, because sometimes what you find on google can be fictitious and accuracy and attribution is key in writing a news story.

Steve Andrews

Steve Andrews is the Senior Investigative Reporter for News Channel 8. The meeting that we attended today was different because we were able to see what we can produce when we get access to public records. It was amazing to see what the outcome of hard work and dedication can do. Andrews stressed to us how important it is to have the all around feel of everything like the internet, TV, and newspapers even though newspapers are dying out. He says that they internet is our future. He has been in the business for 23 years, and he explained to us that some stories can pan out and take up to two hours and some may take 18 months. Andrews stressed that we have to be persistent and we will get what we want. He showed us a few examples of some of his work and what happens when we are persistent. The one that touched me the most was the one of the older man who was neglected in the home. This was also a unique case because this man could not talk for himself he had a legal guardian that had to speak for him and make decision for him. Fortunately in this case Ashley Butler, legal guardian, disclosed medical information. Andrews stated that this story would not have been possible without the information that Butler provided. It was a touching story that got many people talking, and it all worked out because the home was shut down, the owner was arrested, unfortunately the older man died. But it situations like this where Andrews was able to get information about the home, and with the help of Ashley Butler this story was possible. I really liked Andrews’s presentation and I like how it was able to put it into play on how public records, and knowing where to look can make or break your story.

Doug Belden

Doug Belden’s mission statement as Hillsborough County Tax Collector is To exceed customer expectations through continuous innovation in performing the required duties of our office with the highest level of ethics and integrity while empowering and challenging our workforce. And their vision is to be an exemplary government organization.
There are various locations such as downtown main office, Brandon, North Tampa, South County, Plant City, West County and Westshore, and they have a great senior leadership team including: Doug Belden, Efraim Castaño, Dale Hoffman, Kathy Meloy, Nancy Millan, Charlotte Luke, Kirk Sexton, and Preston Trigg.
At the Tax Collectors office you can renew motor vehicle registrations, pay property taxes, and get financial reports. We also see that the Hillsborough County ordinances give the Tax Collector collection and enforcement authority for the Tourist Development Tax. In Hillsborough County, a 5% Tourist Development tax is collected from any person who rents or leases accommodations for a period of six months or less.
One can also purchase hunting and fishing licenses, the Tax Collector is the agent of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Division of Marine Fisheries for the sale of hunting licenses, freshwater and saltwater fishing licenses, vessel fishing licenses, game management permits, lifetime and 5-year licenses. All annual privileges expire 12 months from the privilege start date.
Parking Permits is something that you can purchase and renew at the Tax Collectors office. A parking permit is available to any individual with permanent mobility problems or who is certified as legally blind. The disability must be certified by one of the following: A Licensed Physician, Physician Assistant, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, Osteopath, Podiatrist, Chiropractor, and Optometrist.
Hillsborough County collects business taxes under Florida Statute, Chapter 205 and Hillsborough County Ordinance 95-4 as amended by 02-5. A business tax is a privilege tax to engage in or manage any business, profession, or occupation within its jurisdiction, including municipalities. Most businesses in Hillsborough County are required to pay a business tax. The categories for taxation are often broad and encompass many similar businesses under one heading.
Address:
601 East Kennedy Boulevard
County Center, 14th Floor
Tampa, Florida 33602

William March

William March’s visit was yet another interesting one. Just like all of our other visits he was able to fill us with useful information that we can use in the future. I also felt that this visit was unique because William walked us through searching for all the information on the web. We were given websites to use, and this was different from most of our speakers. We were able to interact and get on the web and actually see where all this information is located. I thought that was kind of neat, most of the time we are given places to go and check out, this time we were given the opportunity to check it out first hand.
Another interesting fact that William brought to the table was the National Comprehensive Report. This search provides information on assets, driver licenses, professional licenses, real properties, vehicles, and more. The result is a National Comprehensive Report providing and extremely focused and thorough Composite. Even though this is something that has to be paid for, it is still an incredible tool to find information on an individual. He was nice enough to give us an example of himself. This specific report shows us information as follows: Subject, User Supplied Information, Possible Driver License, Possible Address Associated with the Subject, Phone Listings, Real Estate property and Deed Transfers, Possible Vehicles Registered at Publics Address, Possible Florida Accidents, and Possible Hunting and Fishing License. These are listed under this report, I though this was amazing. The amount of information that someone can get after paying some money to get that information is incredible; and information like this can get you to an extraordinary story like William March did with Mr. Jimenez.
Overall it was interesting visit by Mr. William March, he also gave us his contact information that I feel will be very useful if I ever have any questions in the future about an individual that might be writing about.

Pat Frank

The visit to the Clerk of the Circuit Court was yet another interesting visit. Very informative and learned a lot of new things that will help me in the future. Beginning with Pat Frank, she is a very intelligent, spunky, and honest person. She did not beat around the bush; which I thought was a great part of her personality. Pat got right to the point with everything. She noted how the economy is right now, and what she feels should be done to make it better. Her opinion means a lot being that she has been in the business for many years, and has experience. As a public official Pat Frank represents our county in a very positive manner. Pat continues to perform with excellence as we can tell the citizens of Hillsborough County continue to elect her. Through out her speech she encouraged us to use the website and become familiar with what is accessible to us as young reporters; we are in our prime the website is a service provided to us as a tool to make our work accurate and current.
Another fact that was mentioned was that the clerk's office performs nearly 1,000 different constitutional and statutory functions or duties, representing the broadest and most diverse mantle of responsibility of any locally elected official.
Douglas Bakke, Director of Family Law, Domestic Violence, Collections Operations, and Sealing and Expungement Unit, was an extraordinary speaker. Even though he was given a short time to speak he was still full of useful information, and interesting new facts. It was also interesting to find out what they deal with on a day to day basis; we tend to take for granted what people like Doug do for us a community.
And Dana Caranante is the Director of Juvenile Court operations. Her short bit was probably the most interesting because none of it is public information because it is dealing with minors; the only people who have access to that is a parent or guardian, or law enforcement.