Jeff Burlew by Tallahassee Democrat April 6, 2021 In a major decision that could have sweeping implications in police use-of-force cases, a Florida appellate court ruled that Marsy’s Law privacy protections apply to law enforcement officers. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal on Tuesday unanimously reversed an earlier decision by Leon […]
Five ways the Legislature wants to block your right to know
By Pamela Marsh and Virginia Hamrick, First Amendment Foundation Daytona Beach News-Journal Florida lawmakers are at it again this year. Your legislators want to make even more difficult to access important government information. While exempting public records and meetings is nothing new, the legislation is especially troubling after the year we have been through. Accurate […]
NONPROFITS FILE AMICUS BRIEF DEFENDING FLORIDA PUBLIC RECORDS LAW
March 9, 2021 MIAMI — The First Amendment Foundation, ACLU of Florida and the Southern Poverty Law Center have filed an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs in the case Human Rights Defense Center v. Armor Correctional Health Services Inc. The brief was filed due to the organizations’ longstanding interest in preserving an open and transparent […]
Records exemption sought for higher ed searches
The Gainesville Sun by Ryan Dailey February 17, 2021 TALLAHASSEE — A proposal that would provide a public-records exemption for “personal identifying information” about people applying to become state college and university presidents is advancing in the Florida Senate. Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican who is sponsoring the measure (SB 220), said it is […]
Coronavirus should bring a season of transparency PAMELA C. MARSH
The Daytona Beach News-Journal by Pamela C. Marsh, President of First Amendment Foundation April 15, 2020 If you aspired to be a great leader, would you send your team into harm’s way with incomplete or inaccurate information? What would happen if you withheld important facts that could have saved lives or changed the outcome? When […]
