By MARGIE MENZEL THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA Posting or forwarding this material without permission is prohibited. Contact news@newsserviceflorida.com. Barbara Petersen is a national expert on open-government issues. She’s been president of the First Amendment Foundation since 1995, when it was started by a group of media organizations and she became its sole employee. The […]
Fla. DCF vows transparency in child death records
Associated Press TALLAHASSEE – Child-welfare officials said Monday that they are creating a new position within the agency in an effort to improve transparency when releasing child abuse death records. The Department of Children and Families has been under scrutiny after a series by The Miami Herald highlighted the deaths of 477 children in the […]
Let’s make a deal: State’s $77 billion budget crafted with little public scrutiny – Naples Daily News
By MATT DIXON TALLAHASSEE _ It was Tuesday in the state Capitol, and most thought Florida’s roughly $75 billion proposed spending plan was complete. Then a notice appeared. At 2:18 p.m. on the day the budget needed to be finalized, a notice came out that House and Senate budget chiefs were holding another meeting. It […]