This story is part of the annual Sunshine Sunday package.
For use Sunday, March 14, and thereafter

Champions and Chumps

A selection of Legislators who have acted in the interest of Florida's Sunshine Laws or who have sponsored bills that are contrary to them.

CHAMPIONS

Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland. Dockery is Senate sponsor of a bill to enact the recommendations of the Governor's Commission on Open Government. She was a member of the commission.

Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota. House sponsor of a bill that would open the legislative process, particularly budget negotiations.

Rep. Clay Ford, R-Gulf Breeze. Ford is the House sponsor of a bill to enact the recommendations of the Governor's Commission on Open Government.

Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach. Sponsor of a bill that would open the legislative process, particularly budget negotiations. Awarded the 2008 Pete Weitzel/Friends of the First Amendment Award by the Florida First Amendment Foundation.

Senate President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach, Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, and Sen. JD Alexander, R-Lake Wales were among the state Senators who pushed and launched Transparency Florida, a Web site, http://www.transparencyflorida.gov, that details state budgeting and spending.

CHUMPS

Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness. Dean is sponsor of a bill to allow government notices be published online.

Rep. Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill. Schenck chairs the House Governmental Affairs Policy Committee that is sponsor of a bill to exempt 911-call recordings from public records.

Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne. Workman is sponsor of a bill to allow government notices be published online. "It costs $50 million a year for local municipalities throughout the state. Newspapers are a thing of yesteryear."

Sunshine Sunday 2010

Editorials

Cartoons

The Baker County Press by Ed Hall
Daytona Beach News-Journal by Bruce Beattie
The Florida Times-Union by Ed Gamble
Florida Today by Jeff Parker
The Villages Daily Sun by Bill Landis

Columns

Sunshine Week: A Celebration of the Public’s Right to Know By Charlie Crist, Governor, State of Florida
Sunshine History by Bill Cotterell, Tallahassee Democrat
Lawmakers Should Publicly Disclose Votes that Could Pad Their Wallets by Paula Dockery, State Senator
Crist faces final test this session to secure his open government legacy By Mary Ellen Klas, Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
The Sunshine Law Battles of a Man and his Dachshund By Fane Lozman, rbslime.com
Is it time, finally, for reform? By Barbara A. Petersen, First Amendment Foundation
Water and Sunshine By Diane Roberts, Author and Columnist

Stories

Joint bill would open budget process to the public By Martin Merzer, Associated Press Writer
Sunshine Sunday box a quick look at Sunshine Sunday
Proposed Sunshine bills in the 2010 Legislature
Champions and Chumps A selection of Legislators who have acted in the interest of Florida's Sunshine Laws or who have sponsored bills that are contrary to them.

Sunshine Week Essay Contest

Open to Florida high-school students in grades 9-12. The first-place winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship, second-place will receive a $1,500 scholarship, and third place will receive a $1,000 scholarship. The contest is supported through the Volunteer Florida Foundation. Winners will be invited to attend an event at the Governor’s Mansion. Congratulations to this year's contest winners and thanks to everyone who entered. >>More information
First Place essay
Freedom of the Press and the Sunshine Law: Knowledge and Power in Government By Emily Cochrane, 9th grade, Coral Reef Senior High, Miami
Second Place essay
First Amendment and Sunshine Laws By Melissa Phillips, 10th grade, Lakewood High School, St. Petersburg
Third Place essay
The People, the Press, and Grievances By Ronald Charles Johnston, Jr., 12th grade, Stanton College Preparatory School, Jacksonville

New Material for ASNE Sunshine Toolkit

New Sunshine Week 2010 toolkit material is now available for use!

You’ll find editorial cartoons, op-eds, calendar, logos and info graphics there. Just click on the tab for “Toolkits.”

New material will be posted daily. Later this week, we will post a nationwide poll on the public’s attitudes about FOIA.