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My friend and fellow activist Carlos Miller was found Not Guilty in his criminal trial this past week. Miller is a professional photojournalist and was arrested by the Miami-Dade Police Department while he was covering the eviction of Occupy Miami. … Continue reading
In a case that has captured the attention of the world, an interesting twist has now appeared with respect to public records access. According to an article published by WKMG in Orlando, the Prosecutors, the Defense counsel and the judge … Continue reading
Man Held in Solitary Confinement 2 Years After DWI Gets $22M | NBC4 Washington. For my readers who are still not convinced there is a crisis of liberty in the United States take a moment and read the article linked … Continue reading
In an article written by law professor Jonothan Turley entitled 10 Reasons The U.S. Is No Longer The Land Of The Free the author enumerates some of the horrible decisions made by the political leadership of the United States since 9/11, including Bush … Continue reading
Supreme Court rules warrant needed for GPS tracking – USATODAY.com. WASHINGTON – In a major decision on privacy in the digital age, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that police need a warrant before attaching a GPS device to a person’s … Continue reading
An article published by Reason Magazine illustrates the importance of public records access. The article recounts the tragic and disturbing tale of Nick Christie, an Ohio man who died in the custody of and at the hands of the Lee County … Continue reading
PRESS RELEASE: Southwest Ranches and Pembroke Pines City Councils Sued Over Sunshine Violations For Immediate Release City Councils Called to Account for Their Illegal Meeting Yesterday the law firm of Thomas & LoCicero filed a lawsuit on behalf of brothers … Continue reading
On of my favorite blogs, http://www.InjusticeEverywhere.com has posted their picks for the worst (most egregious) Police Misconduct Videos of 2011. While other media outlets are ticking off their own “best” and “most” lists for the past year, http://www.InjusticeEverywhere.com‘s list really … Continue reading
Reality TV show case leads to disclosure of Broward cops in trouble with the law – South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com. In an article published by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel it has come to light that State Attorneys maintain a list of … Continue reading
Presently, I am the plaintiff in only a handful of lawsuits. Here’s a brief summary of active cases: Joel Chandler v City of Lakeland Police Department This case involves a long standing practice of LPD charging flat fees for public … Continue reading
Inside the attack on the First Amendment – Salon.com. In an online article published yesterday by Salon.com, columnist Peter Van Buren did an excellent job of laying out the disturbing erosion of First Amendment rights being experienced by Federal employees. … Continue reading
9 Reasons Wired Readers Should Wear Tinfoil Hats | Threat Level | Wired.com. I’ve long been a reader of Wired Magazine. In a recent article published on their web site author David Kravets explored the tenuous relationship between technology, the … Continue reading
Senators Demand the Military Lock Up American Citizens in a “Battlefield” They Define as Being Right Outside Your Window » Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union. The American Civil Liberties Union has published a short … Continue reading
This morning a group of protesters from “Occupy Tampa” participated in the “Armed With 15¢ and An Idea” campaign. The idea was to provide protestors with a printed request for non-exempt public records and 15¢ (the statutory fee for a single-sided photocopy). A … Continue reading
We can’t report on the “Town Hall” meeting held yesterday in Pembroke Pines. The meeting was supposed to be an opportunity for the public to get answers to questions surrounding a private prison scheduled for construction in the Town of … Continue reading
When I was an undergraduate at Bob Jones University, I read James Madison’s “Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments” for the first time. It was the formative document which I used in a series of speeches that I gave for … Continue reading
Recently a dear friend of mine sent me the notes from a lecture given by Jerram Barrs of Covenant Theological Seminary. This lecture was one of several in a series regarding Christian Apologetics. The lecture in question was titled “Postmodernism … Continue reading
Deerfield Beach Housing Authority Rescinds Public Records Change, at Least Temporarily – Broward/Palm Beach News – The Daily Pulp. Wow! All of my critics should read this short article about a fellow named “Chaz Stevens.” The article describes him as … Continue reading
Tonight I had the opportunity to speak to the Atheists of Florida in Lakeland, Florida. I was invited to meet with them regarding public records issues. It was a lively discussion that lasted almost two full hours. As a graduate … Continue reading
Motorist goes to court over little-known flashing headlights law – Florida – MiamiHerald.com. A Pasco County Man has filled a Federal Class Action lawsuit against the Florida Highway Patrol. The lawsuit claims that FHP has maintained a policy of unlawfully … Continue reading
On August 26, 2011 the United States Court of Appeals For the First Circuit reaffirmed the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. In a much anticipated ruling the Court rejected the appeal of Boston police officers who sought limited … Continue reading
The article below was published by the National Motorists Association in their weekly Email Newsletter on September 6, 2011 and is republished here with their permission and our thanks. We present two stories of traffic injustice by camera. Of course, … Continue reading
A trial has been set for September 7, 2011 in Joel Chandler v Manatee County School Board. This case has been a long time coming and is one of the original public records lawsuits that I filed in 2008/2009. … Continue reading
In the wake of my encounter with the personnel employed by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) at the Moore Haven Correctional Facility one question has come up again and again: “why is inspection so important?” As I’ve had conversations with … Continue reading
Steve Bousquet, Tallahassee Bureau Chief for the Saint Petersburg Times has written an article about private prisons in Florida. His article, published on September 1, 2011 discusses in some detail my encounter with the Corrections Corporation of America at the … Continue reading
Wrong, even if not criminal. The editorial published in the Palm Beach Post got me to thinking…which I suppose is the point of an editorial. The piece was another attempt by the press to discuss the Rick Scott email scandal. … Continue reading
Howard Troxler’s column published by the Saint Petersburg Times is a scathing analysis of the failure of Florida’s political leadership to comply with the spirit and the letter of Florida’s Public Records Act. We agree with Troxler’s analysis. While most Floridians … Continue reading
Earlier this week the Florida Attorney General’s Office filed a motion to dismiss our Federal civil rights lawsuit against the leadership of FDOT. This action was expected and, frankly, we would have been surprised had they not filed the motion … Continue reading
My father used to say “When I find something I like, excess is almost enough.” Like my dad, I am sometimes prone to be a little obsessive. Something catches my interest and I just can’t get enough of it. Public … Continue reading
According to an article published by the Bradenton Herald a new exemption to Florida’s Public Records Act is making its way through the state legislature. The proposed bill would exempt photographic and video records that depict murder. While the bill might be … Continue reading
As a public records advocate I’ve come to expect a certain amount of hostility from errant public officials. These are the folks who feel provoked when a member of the public asserts their rights. You know, those pesky citizens that … Continue reading
The following is from a Press Release dated March 31, 2011 Recently uncovered documents reveal that Faneuil, Inc., a Canadian company, has been paid more than $300,000,000 by the Florida Department of Transportation to operate toll roads throughout the state. … Continue reading
Pam Bondi, Florida’s Attorney General proclaimed her support for open government. According to an article published in theMiami Herald Bondi made her remarks at a luncheon sponsored by the Florida First Amendment Foundation. According to the article she expressed her commitment to … Continue reading
Saint Petersburg Times columnist Sue Carlton has written an article published on March 30, 2011. In her column, Carlton derides the absurdity of FDOT’s policy to unlawfully detain motorists on Florida’s toll road. Carlton’s points are valid and we think accurate, … Continue reading
On a recent broadcast of Fox News “Freedom Watch” Judge Andrew Napolitano briefly covered the FDOT scandal. Although, I rarely watch broadcast television or Fox News I do read and Judge Napolitano is one of my favorite commentators. I highly recommend Napolitano’s … Continue reading
Today we received the following press release regarding our friend Carlos Miller: Carlos Miller, a Miami multimedia journalist who was assaulted last year by a 50 State security guard at a Miami-Dade Metrorail station, filed a lawsuit against the security company today. … Continue reading
An article will appear in tomorrow’s St. Pete Times that does a nice job of covering the basic details of the FDOT scandal. The article written by Bill Levesque goes into some detail about documents that were recently uncovered through our investigation.
Two of the greatest weaknesses of Florida’s Public Records Act are the relatively light penalties for public officials who violate the law and a general lack of enforcement by State Attorneys. While FS 119 is pretty toothless when it comes … Continue reading
A few days ago, Governor Rick Scott unveiled his new web site: www.FloridaHasARightToKnow.com. Although all of the links are not yet active, the site holds real promise for making some public records more accessible to citizens. The effort certainly deserves a few plaudits. … Continue reading
Today, we (my brother Robert and I) spent several hours inspecting completed Bill Detection Reports at the HQ of Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FDOT). As we were reviewing thousands of these public records we decided to do a little math. A … Continue reading
March 16 is James Madison’s birthday. It also marks the middle of Sunshine Week. This event which is sponsored by The Florida News Editors Association help to focus attention on the importance of government transparency. One of the highlights of … Continue reading
Today we learned that Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office will be defending the eight individuals named in our Federal Civil Rights lawsuit. The eight defendants include top leadership at FDOT and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise. As news reports have stated, we are … Continue reading
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Tuesday, March 8, 2011 legendary radio personality Ron Seggi interviewed Joel Chandler of www.FOGWatch.org on his radio talk show. The Ron Seggi Show is broadcast worldwide on the Armed Forced Radio Network.
One of the central issues of the FDOT scandal is the use of “Bill Detection Reports” by toll takers when a motorist attempted to use a $20, $50 or $100 bills. There are documented instances of motorists being detained for tendering $5 … Continue reading
One of the central issues of the FDOT scandal is the use of “Bill Detection Reports” by toll takers when a motorist attempted to use a $20, $50 or $100 bills. There are documented instances of motorists being detained for tendering $5 … Continue reading
Since Mike Deeson’s news report first aired last Wednesday, our story regarding the unlawful detention of Florida motorists has gone viral. Within days scores of reports began to appear on various blogs and news sites. We have received numerous requests … Continue reading
Wednesday night Emmy Award winning investigative journalist Mike Deeson’s story aired on WTSP in Tampa Bay. Deeson’s report was the first major news coverage of this important story. As we’ve alluded to in the past, this is a story that we’ve (my … Continue reading
After months of intensive research, telephone calls, endless emails and many meetings with attorneys, the story we’ve been working on is about to be told. Wednesday night at 11:00 PM on the Tampa Bay CBS affiliate, WTSP (www.10Connects.com), Emmy Award … Continue reading
Public records uncovered by the Miami Herald indicate that faulty cleaning procedures at a Miami VA hospital were responsible for numerous veterans being exposed to and contracting HIV. According to the article veterans who were undergoing routine colonoscopies were exposed to HIV … Continue reading
http://www.FOGWatch.org has completed the initial phase of our most recent FCIC/NCIC Abuse Audit. Over the years it has become a common occurrence for some members of law enforcement to respond to public records requests by initiating investigations into the requestors. This … Continue reading
