Politico by Matt Dixon
July 11, 2018
TALLAHASSEE — Amid increased public scrutiny last month, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam’s office quietly wrote an update admitting mistakes in a 2017 investigation looking at how his staff botched hundreds of conceal carry permit applications, issuing 291 permits that were later revoked.
The “addendum” noted that two interviews conducted during the conceal carry gun permit investigation were listed in the report as being conducted under oath, but they were not. The addendum was finished June 28, but the document outlining mistakes made by Putnam’s office was not released until after POLITICO reported on the issue Tuesday.
She said the document acknowledging mistakes in the concealed carry permit investigation was not previously released because “no one requested it.” A handful of media organizations, including POLITICO, and state Sen. Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) filed public records requests last month related to the investigation.
“It’s unacceptable,” Stewart said. “The information is dribbling out in such a manner you can’t help but have suspicion as to what is going on.”
POLITICO asked Stewart about the investigation addendum after the department provided a copy to the news organization.
Stewart was given a round of records related to the interviews not taken under oath in mid-June after filing two demand letters. Members of the media requested similar records but never received them from the department, which admitted Tuesday it had made a mistake.