Midterm

1) There are a number of documents and interview sources that could be used in a case like this to write a quality story. I think there are two categories of information that I would search to find out information on Al Zimmerman. First, there are all of the people that are connected to Zimmerman in one way or another that I could interview to find out what type of person he is. These people range from co-workers, family members, neighbors, and so on. Second, there are the public records that I could use to find out information about Zimmerman such as his arrest record and where he lives.
I will first discuss who I would interview and why I would interview them. I would certainly interview people that Zimmerman worked with at the Department of Children and Families. I would try to find out from them if Zimmerman ever displayed any behavior that would have led them to believe that he could ever be arrested for something like child pornography. I would ask them what type of a guy Zimmerman was on a daily basis. Did he go about his daily business as if everything he was doing was right? Or did he appear to have a sense of guilt surrounding him? Even if they said he appeared to be as normal as everyone else in the office, I could paint the picture that Zimmerman was clearly perfectly okay with the crime he was committing.
Another group of people that could be interviewed for this story would be the people who lived near Zimmerman. Now obviously I would need to find out where Zimmerman lived first, but I will get to that later. I think some good stuff could be obtained from these interviews, especially if there were some families with young children that lived in the same neighborhood as Zimmerman. Maybe there is a family with kids that have been around Zimmerman in the past. Now I could get the parents’ reaction when they find out what type of a guy Zimmerman really is. I think it would also be beneficial to interview some of Zimmerman’s family members, and get their reaction of Zimmerman’s arrest. If they gave a “he’s never done anything wrong in his life” description of Zimmerman, I could simply continue to paint that “you can never trust anyone” picture,
As I mentioned earlier, I think it would be a must to find out where Zimmerman lives for this story. I would find this information out on www.zillow.com. I would need this information for a couple of reasons. First, I would do what I stated earlier and interview Zimmerman’s neighbors. Second, I would see if he lived close to an elementary school or maybe even a middle school. I think if Zimmerman had neighbors around him that had children and he lived 500 feet away from an elementary school, my story could pack even more punch. I think another must for me when gathering information for this story would be to get Zimmerman’s arrest records from the county sheriff’s department, which can be done at www.hcso.tampa.fl.us. This would give me an idea of whether or not he had any previous criminal activity. This could tell me a couple of things. First, it could tell me whether or not Zimmerman has displayed a pattern of criminal behavior. Secondly, if he has shown that pattern then I would be inclined to research his hiring and find out why he was given a job at the Department of Children and Families if he has a record. Even if I find out that Zimmerman has never done anything wrong in his life up until this arrest, it can still give my story more fire power. I can send the message that here is a guy who has never done anything wrong and all of his co-workers think he is a great guy, and the next thing you know he is being arrested for child pornography.
I think that what I have listed above are the key doors that would need to be opened to write this story. What I found out from those sources could open up more doors for even more information on Zimmerman.

2) People wanting to obtain public records or attend public meetings in Florida benefit greatly from the Florida Sunshine Law. Here in Florida we have one of the most open laws regarding public records that give us a great deal of access to documents. This is not the case in all 50 states, as they each have their own statutes that create guidelines for public record access. First I will talk about how the law is interpreted with regards to accessing public records. Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, states that all state, county, and municipal records shall be open for inspection and copying by any person. The part of that statute that holds a multitude of importance is the last two words: any person. This means that no matter who you are, what you do, or where you’re from, if you want a public record in the state of Florida you can get it. In fact, you do not even have to be a United States citizen, as the law simply states that any person could get a public record.
Now that we know who can get one, I’ll discuss what the law says about what exactly a public record is. The statute defines public records as “all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software, or other material, regardless of physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission, made or received in connection with the transaction of official business by any agency.” So basically anything that deals with public business or public officials is there for inspection by anybody here in Florida. There is obviously much more detail to it than that, but what we can get out of that definition is that there is a multitude of information that is there for us and not a whole lot keeping us away from it.
Although the law is extremely open and does leave these public records very accessible, there are often times some obstacles that you have to get around in order to get a public record. One easy way to avoid any headache is to inspect the record that you want on-site instead of making copies of it. Although there are prices set in the Sunshine Law pertaining to making copies, agencies often charge much more than those prices. One way to get yourself into trouble is if you request a record that the agency claims requires the “extensive use” of that agency to obtain. If they claim that it requires extensive use they can charge you a reasonable fee based on the actual costs incurred in copying the requested records. The other obstacle to obtaining a public record is the many exemptions there are to certain records. If you are denied a public record by an agency, that agency must give a reason for denial and cite the exemption for that particular record. If they fail to put that exemption in writing they are subject to sanctions.
This leads me to the discussion of who makes the decisions on issues regarding public meetings and public records. On June 19, 2007 Governor Charlie Crist issued Executive Order 07-107, which created the Commission on Open Government Reform. Crist created this nine-member commission within the Governor’s Office of Open Government to review, evaluate, and issue recommendations regarding Florida’s public records and public meetings laws. In other words, this commission reviews whether or not the public has right to access certain public records or public meetings. One key ingredient to the Florida Sunshine Law is that there is a presumption of openness. The reason that this is important is because this means that if a person is denied access to a certain public record, the agency has the burden of giving the reason and the exemption. It is not on the person requesting the record to show that there is no reason or exemption.
The Florida Sunshine Law has a very similar lack of restraints when it pertains to public meetings. The Open Meetings Law requires that all meetings of state agencies and local government boards or commissions be open to the public unless there is a specific statutory exemption. This law is very broad, as it applies to any meeting of two or more officials of any public agency, any private company doing business on behalf of a public agency, and any advisory board or committee with the power or authority to make recommendations to a public agency. The law also requires public officials to go through certain procedures whenever they hold a public meeting. One thing they must do is give the public a reasonable amount of notice as to inform them when a meeting is going to be held. Obviously along those same lines they must tell the public where the meeting is and what it will be about. Just as there is with public records, there is a presumption of openness for public meetings in Florida as well. What this means is that any meeting between two (or more) public officials of the same agency are presumed to be open unless there is a specific statutory exemption. This means that if two public officials of the same agency are eating lunch and discussing public business, their meeting is presumed subject to the Sunshine State Law.
Charlie Crist saw all of the issues that could come up between agencies and editors pertaining to the Sunshine State Law. After countless disputes he saw fit to do something about it, and he did. I think that Commission on Open Government Reform is beneficial to the public because it demands that these public agencies are held accountable when they deny someone access to a public record or a public meeting.

3) There is a multitude of information out there to write a solid story on Congressional candidate Victor Crist. Using public records alone I could find out where Crist stands on certain issues, who is providing money for his campaign, and how he has voted since he has been in office. As far as figuring out where the money is coming from to fuel his campaign I would visit the website www.moneyline.cq.com. On this website you can find out who has made contributions to certain campaigns and how much those contributions were. Another website you could benefit from as far as finding out about campaign contributions is the Florida board of elections website. On these sites you can search by a specific contributor if you feel like a certain company has a history in swaying a candidate on certain issues.
The next site I would visit would be www.opensecrets.org. This is where I would find out the voting history of Crist. I could also find out the voting history of the companies that are major contributors in his campaign. This site, as well as moneyline.cq.com, is also good for finding out about campaign funds.
After finding out about the money involved in the campaign and how Crist has voted on certain issues, I would then move on to finding out about Crist in a personal manner. Like I talked about with Zimmerman earlier, I would talk to co-workers about Crist. This time it would just be general questions to find out about his personality. I think an obvious thing that would be needed to check out would be Crist’ criminal record, if he has one. I think it would be beneficial to talk to some of the higher-ups of the companies that are contributing the most to Crist’ campaigns and find out why they are backing Crist. Maybe you can find out if that company has a hidden agenda with backing Crist, not that they just think he is the best candidate. You can at least get them to tell you why they feel so compelled by Crist as a candidate to contribute such a large amount of money to fuel his campaign.
Lastly, another site to check would be www.election.dos.state.fl.us. At this site you can make sure that Crist has completed all of the necessary steps needed to run for Congress. This step is really just a formality, but it would be terrible to have a chance to stumble on a mistake like this and miss out on it.
I believe that thorough research of these sites and interviews of the aforementioned individuals would be a solid foundation of information to write a story on. This information would enable me to find out where the money is coming from in Crist’ campaign. It would also tell me a little bit about Crist as a person to go along with a lot about how he has voted in the past.

Public Meeting

VISTA Gardens
Village Institute for Sustainable Technologies and Agriculture, Inc.


On Thursday, October 9, 2008, I attended what I found was a very interesting and insightful public meeting. The meeting was held by President Bill West, where he spoke about the newly formed non-profit organic garden and educational facility. When I heard about the meeting and the meeting’s topic, I thought is sounded very uninteresting and I was hesitant about even attending. However, once West explained about the new facility and its goals in order to better the community, I was happy that I chose this particular meeting. I learned many things about new technologies being created right here in my own neighborhood, and VISTA’s role in bettering the environment, as well as the people who live in it.

“VISTA is an educational facility in order to educate people on organic gardening and sustainable technologies, said West. We have teamed up with talented architects who know how to put plans and landscape together in order to conserve on resources for home owners so they don’t have to use as much water and energy.”

One of the topics that I thought was particularly interesting was when West talked about how VISTA can show people how to use their own plants to better their home and their property. One example he spoke about was how a person can use plants in order to cool their house. I would have never thought that plants could be used in such a way. West also spoke about how one of the main goals of VISTA is to show people how to grow their own organic garden so that they can produce their own food.

“VISTA’s goal is conservation and reducing costs to the homeowners”, said West.

Another thing I learned about VISTA was that they plan to introduce anything from solar energy to different products on the market that people can purchase in order to conserve energy and help our environment. This meeting really made me realize that we all should do our part and do all that we can in order to help our environment. VISTA is a great tool that people can use in order to gain valuable knowledge about how they can do their part in the conservation of the environment. Just by attending this meeting about the new facility has educated and opened my eyes to how important conservation is, and how by using simple products, techniques and even a garden can help the environment in a tremendous way.

“We want to be the resource for people to come to to find out how to improve the environment inside and out”, concluded West.

Channel 8 News Center

The class took its final field trip on Tuesday, as we went back downtown to visit the Channel 8 News Center. It was there where we spent a little over an hour with Channel 8 senior investigative reporter Steve Andrews. It was a real treat being able to hear from someone as experienced and talented as Andrews. It was also fascinating to hear from someone in the television broadcasting field stress how important public records can be to building a story.
After a brief introduction Andrews showed the class videos of five stories from his 23 years of experience that public records played a large role in. For me, the first story was the best example of what can happen when you put in the time and effort to get the facts and put together a solid story. Andrews did an investigative piece on Tampa Bay Water, a company that had built a massive reservoir right here in Tampa. The walls of the reservoir had dozens of cracks in it, causing obvious concerns for the tax payers that had helped build it. Andrews wanted to find out the extent of the problem and also what was causing the problem.
His answers to these questions were found in a massive stack of reports given to him by Tampa Bay Water. The reports were public record, so Andrews requested them from Tampa Bay Water. They obliged by giving him the entire document, a massive stack of papers that Tampa Bay Water figured Andrews would look at and say that there is no way I’m reading all of this. They were wrong, as Andrews read every single word of the reports. Also in the reports were videos made by divers who went underwater to examine the cracks extensively. All of this information allowed Andrews to produce an eye-opening story about tons of wasted tax dollars spent in the flawed construction of this reservoir.
This was an excellent way to wrap up the field trip segment of the semester. It was great for us to hear a talented reporter like Steve Andrews show us examples of how going the extra mile in your investigation can give you a dynamite story.

Tax Collector

On Tuesday the class took a trip back downtown to the County Center. It was on the 14th floor where we had a lecture session and a presentation given to us by Preston Trigg, the Director of Administration for the Hillsborough County Tax Collector. Some of this presentation, particularly the first part, was review. Trigg started out by talking about what a public record is, who can get one, and how you go about getting one. One interesting statement he made during this part came when he was talking about the fees you sometimes have to pay when trying to obtain a public record. Trigg said that the Tax Collector’s Office does not charge people for records, or copies of records. He said that he felt like we should not have to pay for them because we already have with our tax dollars. He added to that by saying that it is our information that we have paid for, therefore we should not have to pay for it again.
Trigg talked about what a particular agency must do if they refuse to provide you with a public record. He said that not only do they have to give a reason for their refusal, they must cite the exemption. He listed off some common exemptions such as: school records, propriety records, investigatory materials when the investigation is in process, autopsy photographs, most records involving juveniles, and private e-mails that do not have anything to do with public business.
Trigg described the Tax Collector by comparing themselves to a bank. He said that basically what the Tax Collector does is take a bunch of money from the tax payers and divvy it out. He did add that they do not set the tax rate, they just do the collecting. The job of setting the tax rate belongs to the property appraiser, Trigg said.
I thought this trip was solid because it gave us some new information but also was a good review session of some of the important things we have gone over this semester.

The Clerk of the Court

On Tuesday the class took a trip downtown to the Hillsborough County Center. The class met on the 13th floor where the office of the clerk of the court is located. In a meeting room we got to listen to talks from four different people: Pat Frank, the Clerk of the Court; JoAnn Constantini, the Director of Official Records; Douglas Bakke, the Director of Family Law; and Dana Caranante, the Director of Juvenile Court Operations. I want to focus on our first speaker, which was Pat Frank.
Ms. Frank gave the class a boatload of information concerning what the county clerk’s office is all about. She started the talk by stating that the clerk’s office is the most important office that people know the least about. The county clerk’s office pays all of the county employees, which Ms. Frank said was about 6,500 individuals. They also keep records of all the county meetings, such as when the board meets. On top of that they keep records of the county commissioners and how they vote on all the issues.
Ms. Frank discussed briefly about how the drying up of the real estate market has affected the county clerk’s office. She said that her office is like a mirror of what is going on in the local economy.
Ms. Frank stated that the county clerk’s office is also responsible for sending out jury summons. She talked about how their system for such is changing, putting everybody in a 3-year pool instead of a 1-year pool. Although I did not fully understand the new system, I did understand that I will be summoned for jury less now.
In 2005 the county clerk’s office returned $5.3 million in returns from Hillsborough County back to the state. In ’06, they returned $7.9 million, and in ’07 it was $3.6 million. That brought the 3-year total to $16.8 million. On the flip-side, Pinellas County and Palm Beach County are deficit counties!
All in all a very informative trip filled with new facts and information about an extremely important body that I knew nothing about before Tuesday.