BY STEVE PATTERSON A Jacksonville man who sued a city pension fund over public records violations isn’t entitled to recover the more than $30,000 he spent on legal fees, a judge has ruled. Circuit Judge James H. Daniel ruled last week that Curtis Lee was entitled to $1,245 for other expenses he faced suing the Jacksonville Police …
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Carolyn Timmann, the head of Gov. Rick Scott’s very busy Office of Open Government, is leaving to run for clerk of Martin Circuit Court. Timmann has had many a fire, literally and figuratively, to handle during her year in Scott’s administration. (She was the first to smell smoke from the cigar-sparked trash can fire in…
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BY TODD RUGER SARASOTA COUNTY – Detectives in the James Brotherton killing last month got a copy of an amazing piece of evidence: a video of the Port Charlotte man getting shot outside the Gulf Gate Library. That usually means the public will be able to see the video, because it is a key part…
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STAFF REPORT State Attorney R.J. Larizza will co-host a public records and Government in the Sunshine seminar on Friday in St. Augustine. The seminar, which is free and open to the public, is designed to help people who work in government understand Florida’s public records law. The purpose, organizers said, is to help “avoid unintended…
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BY ANTHONY MAN Former Sun Sentinel editor Earl Maucker, who served as an appointed Lighthouse Point commissioner early this year, must have liked his couple of months as a government official. Maucker said Tuesday he’s running for a full term on the Lighthouse Point City Commission. He was editor of the Sun Sentinel for 16…
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BY MICHAEL C. BENDER TALLAHASSEE — A Republican state senator wants to end secrecy surrounding deals that use tax dollars to lure companies to Florida or that keep existing businesses from leaving. “Once the deal is signed, all the details should be open to the public,” said Nancy Detert, R-Venice, chairwoman of the Senate Commerce…
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BY PAUL TASH Times Chairman and CEO Since I started here as a reporter in 1978, I have answered my phone with some version of “St. Pete Times.” I will need to learn a new habit. Starting Jan. 1, this newspaper will become the Tampa Bay Times. The new name reflects the growth of our…
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EDITORIAL A dark cloud hangs over Florida state government these days, threatening the state’s much-heralded Sunshine Laws. At issue is a request to the State Board of Administration (SBA) by state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, to release documents concerning an investment into Starboard Value and Opportunity, a hedge find spin-off of Ramius LLC.…
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BY BETH KASSAB If Doug Darling, the state’s new “economic opportunity” director, really wants to get aggressive when it comes to holding accountable companies that accept public incentive dollars, there’s an easy way to do it. Make the information public. A radical idea? No, but it’s one Florida has simply shrugged at for decades. Read…
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