Pat Giancola, Vero Beach Letter: Scott’s privatization effort tries to exclude voters from deliberation. I received an email today from Palm Beach-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO mobilization coordinator informing me of two pieces of legislation that the governor and his cronies are trying to pass regarding privatization of state services without any review. I find it appalling…
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EDITORIAL Gov. Scott has named a new director of his Office of Open Government, a department that in the early days of his administration seemed a misnomer but lately has gotten better marks from journalists and open-government advocates. Bonnie Hazelton will be responsible for providing the best public access to government records, but to deliver…
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EDITORIAL Gaetz, of Niceville, near Pensacola in the Panhandle, is laying his power on the line to make an important point. That point is that emails are public records, just like paper files, and they are to be protected and stored for public inspection — even during transitions of power from one governor to the…
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BY TIMES STAFF Bonnie Hazelton, director of the Office of the Ombudsman and Public Services, will take over as director of Gov. Rick Scott’s Office of Open Government, Scott’s office announced today. Current director, Carolyn Timmann, is leaving to run for clerk of Martin County Court. The move is one of several announced today, including…
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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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BY MICHAEL C. BENDER TALLAHASSEE — The Governor’s Office released 87 pages of public records Friday showing e-mails Gov. Rick Scott sent and received in the final days of his transition into office that have yet to be made public. The documents, which the Governor’s Office has had for nearly six months, include about 65…
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EDITORIAL For a governor who promised accountability as a candidate, Rick Scott sure has a lot of explaining to do. Not once, not twice, but now there has been a third incident involving a “technological mix-up” at the governor’s office that has mysteriously resulted in emails evaporating into cyberspace. Like magic — after a public…
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BY AARON SHAROCKMAN, Times Staff Writer Facing criticisms about the handling of the state’s $130 billion investment portfolio, the executive director and chief investment officer of the State Board of Administration tried to reassure Gov. Rick Scott that everything is fine. The back-and-forth between SBA executive director Ash Williams and Scott came Tuesday during a…
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EDITORIAL Florida Gov. Rick Scott sends mixed messages about his commitment to open government. On the one hand, the governor has signed executive orders advancing, or vetoed bills limiting, the public’s access to state documents. On the other hand, Scott continues to insist on a paywall for members of the public who request these documents…
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BY KATHLEEN HAUGHNEY TALLAHASSEE — The new chief of staff to Gov. Rick Scott , Steve MacNamara, sent out a blanket email to his contacts from his personal account reminding them of his new job and the changes it might bring. The message was clear: Starting July 5, any emails that aren’t personal in nature…
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