Sunshine Sunday

FLORIDA TODAY’s investigative team relies on state and federal records obtained through freedom-of-information laws. But officials try hard to stifle your right to know.

The documents behind the news

By Matt Reed

What do these very different news stories have in common?

• A senior security official at Patrick Air Force Base arranges sex between an enlisted woman on his staff and an inspector visiting the base to judge its military readiness.

The Air Force has begun court-martial proceedings, but no one’s talking.

• Hundreds of state university professors moonlight as consultants, pocketing thousands to influence local policies including school funding, boat-ramp locations, billboard regulations and the health of U.S. space programs.

Largely unmonitored, many use state computers, offices and research assistants for private gain.

• Crooked or incompetent hurricane shutter contractors leave a trail of ripped-off consumers who spend thousands on deposits and receive nothing.

Publication of the contractors’ names encourages other consumers to step forward, and police arrest at least one suspect.

Did you spot the common denominator? Here’s the answer:

All three reports —among dozens by FLORIDA TODAY’s investigative team in the past year — were based on state or federal records that we obtained through freedom-of-information laws.

In all three cases, officials or businesses tried to obstruct us from information that every Floridian has a right to know.

And all three stories hinged on types of public information that some Florida politicians want to keep secret from you and your neighbors.

In Florida, you see, all government records and meetings are presumed to be open to the public unless the Legislature passes an exemption to the law. Florida voters put that precious right, and its loophole, into our state Constitution.

And while most records and meetings remain open to the public, lawmakers find new things to exempt every year. In past years, lawmakers have sealed investigative reports on all manner of businesses including stockbrokers, funeral homes and gas stations.

Is that what you want for your state? We feel so strongly about freedom of information that we have launched a daily online feature called Brevard Watchlist at floridatoday.com. Its mission:

To share with you the original documents, data and official explanations behind what your read in the news.

Recent updates on Brevard Watchlist have included:

• A breakdown of where Brevard County spent all that extra property tax money.

• A lawsuit alleging substandard food in cafeterias at Kennedy Space Center.

• Full-text public statements by Brevard’s congressmen on the Iraq war and federal budget.

As our communities grow and technology prods the press to move faster, we will rely on all types of public records to serve as your watchdog.

We hope you support and appreciate your right to that information and remember it not just on Sunshine Sunday, but everyday.

Reed is assistant managing editor for investigations/public service at FLORIDA TODAY. You can reach him at (321) 242-3968 or mreed@floridatoday.com.

Back to top | Return to fsne.org