FSNE - Sunshine Sunday

The annual “Sunshine Sunday” array of articles and editorials appearing in newspapers statewide today spotlight the value of public records in Florida.

But the benefits of public records shine daily in print, online and on the air.

In fact, it’s harder to find a story that doesn’t use a public record than one that does. Eliminate every news report triggered or enhanced by a public record and Floridians would face huge gaps in news coverage.

Worse yet, huge holes would exist in the public consciousness regarding important issues.

For instance, without public records, the public would not have read Times-Union reporter Jim Schoettler’s recent “Auto Disrepair” series. It relied heavily on state complaint and other records to show how “bad mechanics, miscommunication and outright fraud create a volatile environment for consumers and repair shops.”

Without public records, readers would have missed the Orlando Sentinel’s examination last year of voter registration records from Florida, Georgia and North Carolina that showed more than 1,600 people may have double-voted in Florida and one of the other states in past elections.

Without public records, readers would have missed “Justice Withheld,” a series last year by the Miami Herald that uncovered how nearly one of every four men prosecuted during the last decade for sex crimes against Florida children had their convictions wiped clean by judges and prosecutors.

A week after the Herald series, lawmakers crafted legislation to curb the use of withhold of adjudication, a legal break that allows offenders who plead to a crime to avoid a felony conviction.

But records-generated stories don’t have to be multi-day blockbusters or move state lawmakers to aid the public.

Every story based on records — such as a meeting agenda, budget, lawsuit, police report, foreclosure, building permit or government study or report — can help people digest, follow and analyze important community developments and trends. For more examples, see story postings from around the state on my Web site at www.idiganswers.com.

Even as news stories are excellent tools for teaching and learning about the value of public information, public records access isn’t foremost about the press.

It’s about the public.

Important life decisions hinge on what we know. From buying property and checking criminal backgrounds to selecting a school and researching a doctor, public records offer crucial insights for informed choices about our families, businesses, government and us.

How many sexual predators and offenders live near me? Is that charity worthy of my donation? How are my tax dollars being spent? People can answer those and many other questions through public documents or sometimes postings of public information on the Internet.

For example, one of the basic questions for all of us regards the safety level in our neighborhoods. Jacksonville residents can help themselves find answers through the crime statistics posted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at http://maps.coj.net/crimestatsdiscl.asp. Check it out: Site users can learn about crime reports within a half-mile of their homes.

Such opportunities fade, however, when lawmakers approve unjustified exemptions on information and when custodians of public records place barriers before public access.

An audit last year on public records access statewide by 30 newspapers indicated public records aren’t nearly as public as they should be.

The newspapers sent anonymous representatives to various public offices for public documents. Only 57 percent of the public officials complied with requests as the law required. Many wanted to know the intentions of the records seeker — which the law doesn’t require be shared. A Sarasota Herald-Tribune requester nearly got arrested after asking for the local school superintendent’s cell phone records.

Too many public officials hesitate to comply with records requests out of unfamiliarity with the law. More education is essential.

Fortunately, the evidence abounds: Public records are public treasures.

Lawmakers should remember it when pondering proposed records exemptions in this legislative session and those to come.

Joe Adams is a Times-Union editorial writer and author of The Florida Public Records Handbook published by the First Amendment Foundation. His Web site, www.idiganswers.com, focuses on Florida public records use and open government news. This article is based on a piece he wrote last year for the Brechner Report at the University of Florida.