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Mike Fasano, it’s none of your business who requests public records

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What a difference four years can make. Especially in the world of politics. Elected officials change their positions. Sometimes it can happen when new facts emerge, or because of a desire to follow the will of the people who elected them to serve. And then there are the other scenarios. Take my friend Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano. In 2012, Florida’s First Amendment Foundation gave him the Friend of the First Amendment award in part for complaining that the Public Service Commission…

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Independence Day Weekend brought to you by these lobbyists and political associations

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Whether it’s at the ballpark or the beach, setting off fireworks or firing up the grill, Floridians will celebrate the July 4th holiday in style. The National Retail Federation predicts Americans will spend $71.34 per household on average on food for barbecues. The organization — which has conducted its annual Independence Day survey since 2003 — estimates 65 percent of Americans plan to attend a cookout, barbecue or picnic this holiday weekend. Hosting the barbecue this weekend? Then you better stock up…

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Rick Scott to feds: Release the Orlando 911 tapes

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Update: Later Monday, the Justice Department released a full text of one of the shooter’s calls, saying it wanted to “provide the highest level of transparency possible under the circumstances.” Click here for the statement and transcript. Gov. Rick Scott Monday called on federal authorities to release more from the 911 calls made by the Orlando shooter. But an open government expert said Scott should save the bully pulpit talk for local law enforcement, who could release the same information. Scott, who has…

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Florida Supreme Court: Board must pay in public records case

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Florida government agencies that lose lawsuits filed by people seeking access to public records will have to pay plaintiffs’ attorney fees, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a Jacksonville-based case. And it doesn’t matter if the agency didn’t know it was breaking Florida’s public records laws when it denied or limited access to records, the court ruled. “This is really important,” said Barbara Petersen, president of the open government watchdog group First Amendment Foundation. “It’s not a penalty. They…

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Bill changing single word of public records rules could have “disastrous” effect on Sunshine Laws

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Florida Sunshine Laws, which dictate transparency in government, could be significantly threatened — all with the change of a single word. As reported by Noah Pransky of WTSP, a new bill by Sarasota Republican State Rep. Greg Steube is generating concern among open government advocates, who see it as “legislators trying to further erode citizens’ only avenue” of accessing public records. The proposals (HB 1021 and SB 1220), would give judges the discretion to award attorney’s fees in public records…

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First Amendment Foundation, Poynter Institute may team up

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The Tallahassee-based First Amendment Foundation, the state’s public records and open meetings watchdog, is considering a partnership with The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg. Foundation President Barbara Petersen told FloridaPolitics.com the two groups are working on an agreement in which Poynter, a nonprofit journalism education organization, “will assume all of the Foundation’s administrative responsibilities.” That will include handling future production of the organization’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual, updated yearly, and hosting its website. If the deal goes through, the foundation will shed two office positions, leaving…

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Jack Latvala bill to shield law enforcement info advances in Florida Senate Committee

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Clearwater GOP state Sen. Jack Latvala’s expansive and controversial bill that would exempt the employment history of police officers from public records disclosure sailed through the Senate Criminal Justice Committee this afternoon. Latvia said the legislation is needed after he learned that a Clearwater man who requested an employment application of a Clearwater police officer was able to unearth information about the officer that hadn’t been redacted. “It brought to mind that there are some other pieces of information that could be used to…

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