The Florida Times-Union

Sunshine Week: Use the power

By The Times-Union

Public records are good friends.

In Florida, for instance, residents can tap the power of public information to help them make better calls on some of life’s most important decisions.

Those would include buying a house, finding a nursing home, deciding on a day care or finding a suitable public school.

Such information is made possible through Florida’s Government-in-The-Sunshine laws, which are being recognized this week as part of a national celebration known as Sunshine Week.

Government for the people and by the people is enshrined in open records and meetings laws.

How much money is the City Council spending?

Are the courts being operated properly?

Are government contracts being distributed by the rules?

Public records play a key role in keeping government officials accountable to the governed.

In addition, government collects information that can be invaluable to consumers in making personal decisions. And much of that information can be obtained through the Internet.

For instance, in Duval County, a visit to the property appraiser’s Web site can help you find out sales details and property values about the neighborhood where you plan to buy a home.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Web site enables you to search for crime information within a radius of a location.

And a visit to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Web site can produce the locations of sexual predators and offenders.

One of the few online searches from the state that involves a cost is the FDLE’s statewide criminal background checks at $23, which takes only minutes but can be a big help in checking out a prospective employee, business partner or potential romantic interest.

Some of the best advances in public information are coming from state government and driven largely by Gov. Charlie Crist.

Crist, who set up an Office for Open Government in Tallahassee, has required all agencies to adopt an Open Government Bill of Rights for citizens.

As part of new Web sites, they are offering information that includes details on agency public records contacts, budgets, organizational charts, legislative priorities and who is getting contracts.

In addition, Attorney General Bill McCollum is urging local governments to provide more budget and contract information online, and legislation proposed in the Legislature would require all state and local governments to eventually list details online for most contracts and payments.

That’s as it should be.

The more transparency in government operations, the better. And it is, after all, your right to know.

Reproduced courtesy of the Florida Times-Union.
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