To Their Right Praise, and True Perfection!

To look back in the not too distant future of media and compare it with its present state can be very disheartening.

Looking at famous journalist such as Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings and even more recently Tom Brokaw it is hard to fully comprehend the media's fall from grace.

According to a 2003 USA Today article, "Trust in the media has dropped from 54% in mid-1989 — about the time of the fall of communism — to a low of 32% in December 2000, during the post-election confusion over George W. Bush and Al Gore."

However, a lot of this can be chalked up to the commercialization, sensationalized, subjectivity of the present state of the news; as pointed at quite aptly my Farhad Manjoo in his book True Enough.

According to Manjoo the overuse of terms such as "breaking news" have essentially created a boy who cried wolf scenario. As a result the news is harder and harder to believe.

This is perhaps chiefly because in the world of 24-hour news coverage there is a constant power struggle between networks to have higher ratings, so any new detail must be sensationalized to draw viewership away from the increasingly sedated American audience.

This competition has lead cable news to become more entertainment and speculation in stead of just the news and straight facts. As a result commentators such as Bill O'Reilly, Glen Beck and Keith Olbermann have very successful shows and because the networks are always competing for first; the cycle is perpetuated.

Cable news has seemingly become a competition of who can be the loudest, most brash and best showman or woman. Naturally you can see the type of problem this creates with the public when this type of programming is presented as news on an "all news" network. As Stephen Colbert aptly put, "it's now what you say, but how loud you say it."

As a result and somewhat due to the hostile media effect less and less people believe that the media is unbiased and being truthful. The hostile media effect is a psychological effect where the media has become so untrusted and the consumers so staunch that anything is perceived as going against each individual. For example a democrat and a republican can watch the same segment of news and each will perceive it as hostile to their party or ideology.

To quote Manjoo: "On the left now, just as on the right, people believe the press is out to get them...Republicans and Democrats each claim to see some media sources as routinely favoring the other side."

As a result more than half of the country views the media as either too liberal or too conservative with a minority of people thinking the coverage is where it's supposed to be. The 24-hour news stations have seemingly become more polarized and anything in the middle seems foreign to the niche in viewers that they have created. "If I see the world as all black an you see the world as all white, and some person comes along and says it's partially black and partially white, we both are going to be unhappy."

This is illustrated here (which for some reason wont copy as a picture)

This sort of thinking is perpetuated by the idea that, "both sides think the other side is just being strategic." This stems from the belief of each party believing they are the only reasonable option. Accordingly everyone else who is reasonable must arrive at the same conclusion and anyone who arrives somewhere else is clearly unreasonable.

This fallacy in logic unfortunately is prevalent in most if not all conflict. Everyone takes this stance at one point or another Manjoo and myself included. When Manjoo questions the sincerity of people like Lou Dobbs and Anne Coulter when they say the things they say. The normal vitriol that often finds its way coming from Coulter and Dobbs mouths generally I find questionable at not. However, questioning their sincerity implies that you know better and your way is the only reasonable way. It is an odd situation though as I actually do agree with Manjoo on this in particular.

The counter to this argument is that personalities like the aforementioned are clearly labeled as being on opinion shows, not news shows. Paraphrasing Bill O'Reilly from a recent interview with Jon Stewart, said that anyone who didn't know his show was opinion was a pinhead. However, I am not sure it is as common knowledge as Mr. O'Reilly believes.

All this confusion and mistrust has resulted in Jon Stewart, a comedian whose show is self-titled fake news, to become one of the most trusted names in news. According to a recent poll on Time.com Stewart beat out fellow anchors, Katie Couric, Brian Williams and Charlie Gibson.

I am a Jon Stewart fan, and this is disturbing. That being said reading True Enough was a strange sort of vindication, because I had grown so frustrated with the state of news that I was starting to think it was only me. So reading someone who had noticed the same things I had and felt as frustrated was relieving.

No, Sir, I Do Not Bite My Thumb At You Sir; But I Bite My Thumb, Sir.

Alfred L. Gordon was a 52-year-old Orlando Police Department veteran with almost 30 years of experience. That was until the night of Thursday October 4, 2007 when he was shot and killed during a botched ATM robbery.

Gordon was withdrawing money from an ATM on the corner of Silver Star and North Hiawassee roads in Pine Hills (colloquially known as Crime Hills) , a suburb of west Orlando. When he was approached and later killed by South Florida teens: Davin Smith, 19 (at the time) and Hugo Terry, 18 (at the time).

What made the trial of Davin Smith, which is the trial I attended, even more interesting was that formal boy band mogul Lou Pearlman testified against Smith. Pearlman, who is currently serving a 25 year sentence for bank and wire fraud, testified that while in prison Smith had bragged that he had killed a police officer.

While in court there was a very interesting witness who unfortunately I was not able to get the name of, because I arrived after he had been called to the stand. He was an interesting witness, because he had been called to basically echo the sentiments of Lou Pearlman, saying he had heard Smith brag about killing a police officer. However, unlike Pearlman this witness, apparently had a history of “snitching,” on other inmates. Accordingly the defense tried to show that he just wanted attention and a day out of prison. The inmate did not help himself by talking back to the defense and coming off as more of a trouble making blow hard than a viable witness.


Another interesting fact about the trial was that you were able to see some of Gordon's last moments as there was a security camera mounted above the ATM. This piece of evidence was of vital importance to the prosecution, but there was a certain degree of difficulty in getting the surveillance video to work. While it was never quite clear what exactly the hold up was the delay lasted some 40 minutes.

Towards the end of the trial the jury did not take long to find Smith guilty and recommend a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Another interesting fact I learned and perhaps less to do with the trial itself was that there was only one camera allowed in the courtroom at a time. During this particular case Channel 9 WFLA the Orlando ABC affiliate was on duty. After the case adjourns for the day the other local news stations can request the tape from the trial so they can run it on their news.

Too Early Seen Unknown, and Known Too Late

There is one huge hole in the proposed plan to widen Bruce B. Downs Boulevard into either a 6 or 8 lane road. That problem is that this $50 million+ expansion of Bruce B. Downs is hinging on the passing of either a Light Rail system or at the very least another route for the Hartline bus services.

As the Hillsborough County Department of Public Works puts it, "Should the reconstruction of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, between Bearss Avenue and Palm Springs Boulevard, scheduled for 2011, widen the existing 4-lane road to 8 lanes as currently designed or widen to 6 lanes and preserve more space for future rapid transit?"

The cost of construction on the 6 lane road totals $52 million and the 8 lane road totals $55 million. Accounting for a $3 million difference.

However, the problem with merely widening the road is that if the road is widened to 6-lanes it will fail by 2012. This is particularly problematic when the estimated completion date would be between 2013 and 2014. The forecast is a little better for an 8-lane road which would not fail until 2025.

That being said that's still $55 million down the drain to last a little more than 10 years. That is why the Hillsborough County Department of Public Works is pushing for a Light Rail track to alleviate congestion and further accommodate the growing population of the North Tampa and Tampa Palms area.

The thought process of course being while you cannot keep widening Bruce B. Downs to suit the traffic you can keep adding cars to the Light Rail trains.

The Public Works department is pushing for a swift decision in order to avoid delays to the road project.

The planned Light Rail could be constructed as early as 2018 if:
-Planning, Environmental, and Engineering Studies support Rail on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in first phase of construction.
-Transportation Referendum on 1% sales tax is placed on the November ballot
and passes by popular vote.
-Federal matching grants are obtained as/if needed.

If the Light Rail fails to pass the options are limited to either a Hartline or simply wider road. An idea which most do not seem particularly fond of due to the still present congestion and in the case of simply widening the road, imminent failure.

Seen below is Plan One with the Light Rail running in between the two directions of traffic.











Below are links to helpful websites to learn more about the proposed road:
A slide-show presentation of the proposal.
The Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Millage Like Mileage for Your House

Today Preston Trigg, Director of Administration & Special Projects for the Hillsborough County Tax Collector's office made his triumphant return to Public Affairs Reporting.

This time however, Trigg was not here to talk about the tricks and tools of dealing with public records; but about how to decipher a government budget and of course the infamous millage.

Trigg started out by saying, "All facets of media and journalism have to work through and around budgets." Certainly a sobering statement for those who wished they could just ignore it.

One of the bigger surprises I learned during Mr. Trigg's presentation was that not all government budgets are balanced meaning your revenue meets your expenses. States like California in addition to the United States federal budget are unbalanced.

When writing a report involving a government budget it is very important to use simple language and explain everything in the simplest terms. A budget is a simple it consists of revenues and expenses. Revenues being money coming in and expenses being money going out.

Types of revenues include: taxes, licenses, fees and utility payments. There are three types of expenses: personnel, operating and capital. Personnel is people; Operating is recurring; Capital is one-time.

The government can also incur debt. This happens when the government sells bonds which is money borrowed by government from investors and paid back over time with interest. Bonds are usually issued to pay for big-ticket items like roads or expansion.

As journalists the biggest sin you can make is publishing false information and working with numbers is not always the easiest or most exciting. To counter any misunderstandings Trigg harped on one point in particular. ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. Ask budget officials, they are usually very helpful, because if you publish incorrect information it is more of a headache for them. So be safe and be mutually beneficial.

Last but not least is millage. Millage is a tax levied on your house based on the property value. For instance mil = 1/1000 and if 1 mil = $1,000 property value and the tax rate is 5 mils then your millage rate is $5.

There are several deductions that can be made on your millage rate. For instance the Homestead exemption if you live in your home and you're not renting it you get to subtract $50,000 from property value. There is also the Elderly tax exemption - If you're a senior citizen you get another 25,000 off of your property value.

Here are some helpful links in learning about Millage:

Online Millage Calculator
Some frequently asked questions about millage on the Hillsborough County Property Appraisers website

Where Civil Blood Makes Civil Hands Unclean.

Mayor Charlene Glancy























My trip to the Casselberry City Commission meeting this past Monday March 22 went about as expected. It ran a little more than three hours and consisted mostly of readings regarding proposed redistricting, increased development and zoning amendments. Most of which went right over my head.

The council members were seemingly kind, generally energetic and concerned with the well being of their city. An energy that was perhaps only matched by their garrulousness.

However, that all changed when Mr. James Fraleigh took to the podium during the citizens' comments section of the meeting. "What's the matter with you? Are you stupid? Are you morons? You're ignorant and you're wasting the tax payers money!"

In what turned out to be a three minute verbal assault on the council's intelligence and integrity, Mr. Fraleigh managed to jump-start the council who did not take very kindly to words.

After Mr. Farleigh's time was up (citizen speakers are allowed three minutes)the meeting got back underway.

Mayor Charlene Glancy proclaimed April to be water conservation month in the City of Casselberry.

Mayor Glancy then recognized the 60th anniversary of the Woman's Club of Casselberry.

Adam Reichbach, a Special Projects Coordinator, working for the U.S. Census did a presentation about why the census was important. Perhaps the most important thing to take away was that for every 18 people who do not fill out the survey it costs the U.S. government 80-90 million dollars to send out agents to collect the information.

Then began the public hearings which took up the majority of the time. There was a second reading of Ordinance 10-1315 - Annual Capital Improvement Schedule 2009/10 - 2013/14 (LPA 09-08) which adopted the city's 5-year capital improvement schedule to meet growth management plan requirement for cities and counties to submit an annual capital improvement schedule to the Department of Community Affairs. This passed unanimously.

Then there was a first reading of a series of several ordinances which all how to do with increasing development around major roads that pass through Casselberry. So I thought the excitement for the most part was over. I was wrong.

During the citizens' comments section of Ordinance 10-1321 Mr. Fraleigh made his triumphant return to that podium and returned to his venomous rhetoric. Only this time he had been warned and this time it resulted in him being removed from the premises by two large security guards.

I could hear Mr. Fraleigh protest after he had been removed from the council room, but had no idea until the next day that due to his comments and resulting struggle leaving the premises Mr. Fraleigh was arrested for trespassing.

After Mr. Fraleigh's second disturbance the rest of the meeting went smoothly with the rest of the ordinances also carrying unanimously in their first reads.

One final interesting note from the meeting was that city attorney
Catherine D. Reischmann reitterated the importance of public records and constant compliance with Florida Sunshine Law. According to Reischmann, Walton County, Florida was recently hit with $155,000 in attorney fees for sending work related e-mails on personal e-mail accounts. Reischmann sought to remind the council that the city of Casselberry could not financially afford to be so careless and that anytime business e-mails were being exchanged from personal e-mail accounts to just forward them to their own work e-mails which would in return be sent directly to the office computers and placed in public record.

NASCAR, Public Records and Autopsy Photos

"So how did you get into pathology?"

"I just sort of fell into it." said Dr. Vernard Adams.

That brand of dry humor, made the trip to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Complex that much more enjoyable.



Unfortunately at times, due to space constraints I had a difficult time hearing and seeing what Dr. Adams had to say. That being said I think I learned enough valuable information to make my blog somewhat enjoyable.

To start it is perhaps most important to understand what exactly a Medical Examiner does. According to Florida Statute 406.11 the Medical Examiner in the district in which the death occurred or where the body was found is to determine the cause of death when a person dies from the following:

Criminal violence
Accident, suicide or poison
Suddenly, when in apparent good health
Unattended by a practicing physician or other recognize practitioner
In any prison or penal institution
In any suspicious or unusual circumstance
By criminal abortion
By disease constituting a threat to public health
By disease, injury or toxic agent resulting from employment

Any death that falls into one of these categories, under this statute, provides the Medical Examiner with the authority to perform the autopsies or laboratory examinations deemed to be in the public interest.

During this trip I was also able to learn a good deal about public records and what is and is not made readily available.

For instance, autopsy reports are public record, and up until 2001 autopsy photographs were also public record. However, due to the media frenzy surrounding the death of NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt congress changed this law making autopsy photos illegal to the public.



Earnhardt's widow filed a Complaint for Declatory and Injunctive Relief
which slapped an injunction prohibiting disclosure or dissemination of any of the autopsy photos.

The Orlando Sentinel which had previously been investigating safety in auto-racing had earlier requested autopsy photos (as per usual) to further investigate their story and this injunction prevented them from proceeding. In response the Sentinel filed a Motion to Intervene

Long Story short Mrs. Earnhardt was able to pass new law in Florida that prevented autopsy photos from becoming public record, in what chiefly seems to be due to her husbands celebrity status.

I also learned that there are two death certificates. The medical death certificate that includes cause of death is not public record, however the memorial death certificate is available to the public.

Frank Talk

Once again I was unable to attend this particular field trip to the Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts due to my internship, but from the sounds of it, this may not have been the worst of fates. After watching the video I am more than floored by the shear amount of information that Pat Frank is able to manage.

The world of legal reporting is admittedly not my first choice. In fact it is not even really in the running. Perhaps backwards and seemingly contradictory in nature, I would rather be a lawyer than a legal reporter. This is simply because if I am going to be doing that much research, deciphering, legal work, managing and seemingly monotonous work I want to make the most money I can.

However, this does nothing if not further my admiration for Pat Frank. Keeping track of records for longer than a good amount of people live is a task not for the feint of heart. Felonies stay on your record for 75 years and the clerk's office is responsible for keeping these records of every person in the county who has ever committed a felony, misdemeanor or whatever the crime may be.

So needless to say I was somewhat baffled by Frank's admission: "...in our case there are 20 circuits in the state but there are 67 clerks so this is very confusing because you've got in some circuits multiple clerks and that leads to some confusion. In our case we're the 13th Judicial Circuit and we're only one county...Hillsborough, so it's a very simply relationship."

While the statement of having one clerk in stead of multiple makes sense in order of a hierarchy, it fails to take into account that Hillsborough is it's own Judicial Circuit, because it makes up such a large portion of the Florida population thus making Frank solely accountable for that much more information.

In summation: it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to work there.

Anyone who wants to can visit Pat Franks blog cleverly entitled Frank Talk by clicking here.

Steve Andrews, More Than Just Erin Andrews Dad

To live, work and love what you do is something most can only hope for. For WFLA's investigative reporter, Steve Andrews, this dream is a reality. "I really enjoy what I do," said Andrews a 25-year veteran of the field.

And the citizens of Tampa Bay also love what Andrews does as he keeps them aware of potential pitfalls and shenanigans that are prevalent in our community.

Perhaps one of Andrews biggest cases was one of his most recent. Andrews had received numerous complaints about the Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance (TBWA), but nothing ever seemed to be true. Andrews considered giving up on the case until he was told he should look into the food at the TBWA.

Being a good reporter Andrews did just that, and much to his shock and chagrin Andrews discovered that the TBWF had been wasting thousands and thousands of tax-payer dollars on extravagant meals. In one year alone, one section of the TBWA spent some $20,000, $100,000 in all Bay Area facilities and an astounding $600,000 statewide.

The TBWA was no stranger to spending hundreds of dollars on regular meals and having board meetings at restaurants just so they could eat. One meal in particular (shown below) had $9 cheesecake, a point which Andrews hammered home and really seemed to stick with his audience.



As one could expect the Bay Area did not take kindly to a federally funded company spending their money on exorbitant meals in stead of getting people jobs who need money to feed their own families. Not too mention this whole situation was exacerbated by the fact that we are presently in a recession, and people need jobs and money more than ever.

As a result of Andrews report a federal investigation followed suit. There were two resignations from the board at the TBWA and three of the four top members were fired.

This kind of case is something aspiring journalists dream of. Cracking the big case, but also the kind of abuse of power we wish we didn't have to report. As such Andrews left us with several keys to being a successful reporter.

Always be tenacious but polite otherwise the public tide can be turned against you. Always be prepared and write down at least three questions, and last but not least always know the rules and regulations for what you are talking about so you don't come across as ill-informed.

Windy March's Windless Visit

Unfortunately for myself, I was unable to attend Mr. March's actual visit to our public affairs class due to my internship. I was however, able to watch his visit from the previous semester on-line which was very beneficial in its own right.

March is the chief political political writer for the Tampa Tribune. Described by professor Gil Thelen as, "one of the most enterprising and tenacious reporters in this town."

March talked about the political side of public records and money laundering. A word that is often tossed around in Mafia movies, but I was never 100% clear on.

March then went on to explain a huge story he covered in 1996 where a man named Mark Jimenez who laundered money through not only his family, but also his work. Jiminez was the largest soft money donor to the Democratic Party donating roughly half-a-million dollars to various sections of the party.

March then explained in a step-by-step manner how to access the public records that he used to show Jimenez's wrong doing.

There is a limit to how much one particular person can donate to a political candidate. In order to side-step this facet of the law Jimenez gave $1,000 to his wife and children so that they could donate it to his political causes. This while illegal is very difficult to prove and often goes unchecked. However, Jimenez went one step further and provided money to his employees to the tune of $1,000 each to donate to his political causes. This sounds like an untraceable crime until you see the public records showing many of his employees donating the exact same amount of money to the exact same causes. This once again could all be coincidence until you look further into public records and see that one man in particular Ernesto Belfonte drove a car that cost less than $1,000, was registered to vote but had never voted once on anything and was by no means a rich man. So logical conclusion leads you to believe that a man who has shown no previous inkling of interest in politics is suddenly going to donate more money than his car is worth when he is in no financial situation to do so? March said not and charges were brought against both Jimenez and his company.

This just once against shows the almighty power of the public record. It also demonstrates the power of being a pro-active journalist and having the right instinct. If you think something is askew it probably is.

The Rules and Regulations of the Public Records Nation to Educate the Generation is a Cause for Celebration said Preston Trigg, in Summation

"All documents, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, recordings, software...regardless of physical form...made or received pursuant to law or in connection with transactions of official business." - Florida Statutes Sec. 119.011(11)

By this point in the year we know Florida statute 119 is one of the most if not the most important statute for aspiring journalists to know. This was once again hammered home by this past Thursdays guest speaker and Director of Administration and Special Projects for the Hillsborough County Tax Collector's office, Preston Trigg.

Trigg went over in great detail: what a public record is, who can get a public record, what the rules are for obtaining a public record, types of records, common exemptions, tricks of the trade and what reporters should do.

However, some of the bigger things I took away were the tools of the trade. Trigg himself is a former reporter and having these trade secrets that can only be learned with experience passed on for free without sacrificing time to learn is invaluable.

Trigg talked about the many ways people working in public record halls will try to deceive you and the things you can do to render them moot. The first trick Trigg commented on was putting everything in writing to avoid any legal problems that could arise. If for any reason the public records workers refuse to hand over the records they must cite the exemption and nature of the record that the agency isn't giving you. It is a crime not to release a record, but it's also a crime to release an exempt record. Trigg also said to always ask for the costs up front so that they wont throw you a curve and high ball you. Inspect any records you look at in stead of just mindlessly copying the information. The time frame in which you receive the records must be turned over to you in a reasonable time frame. Last but perhaps most important, you must always be conscious of competition as your request for public records is public record so your competition can 119 your 119.

The Boring Side of Crime

The 10-year-old in me was expecting/hoping for an episode of MSNBC's Locked Up, walking through a hallway filled with nothing but Tampa's most violent murders, rapists and child molestors snarling and cursing as we walked by. The reality of course was nothing close.

After visiting the Hillsborough County Jail last Thursday, I decided to put together a list of things that are less mentally laborious and shorter in length than being arrested and booked in the Hillsborough County Jail.

Taking the SAT, waiting in line at a theme park, curling, trying to figure out why Twitter is popular, trying to figure out why anyone thinks Renée Zellweger is attractive, anything involving the DMV, the Boston Marathon and last but not least the Daytona 500. That being said the visit served as further motivation to keep me from doing anything illegal in nature.

The journey that is booking begins of course with the actual arrest for whatever particular reason it may be. The man or woman is than taken to the Hillsborough County Jail on Orient Road, no matter where in Hillsborough County they are because any arrest in the county has to go through that particular jail. So needless to say this could result in quite the tedious ride to the jail. The arrested individuals are then stripped of any property they have on them and it is placed in a bag that will be returned upon their release. They are then asked to sit in a waiting room of sorts until they can be called up to be processed which includes, finger printing, a photograph, medical questioning, a trip in the Boss 2 or (Body Orifice Surface Scan) and then a trip to another waiting room to appear in First Appearance Court, before being escorted to your actual cell where you will remain until a trial or you are bailed out. The entire process of checking in and First Appearance Court lasts more than 24 hours and for some can last much longer.

The People on the Other End.

I had never really heard anyone die before. Sure I had "seen" it on surveillance tapes of Wildest Police Chases and similar shows, but never actually just heard pure unfiltered audio of someone dying. Not only that, but someone being shot.

That was until last Thursday when I visited the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and spent time with both the 9-1-1 responders unit and PIO office.

It is a truly startling experience, but a reality that 9-1-1 call respondents have to face every time they go to work. Not that someone dies on the job everyday, but traumatic experience is always a possibility.

It takes a special breed of men and women to willingly work 12 hour shifts answering phone calls from the most monotonous, "my cat is in a tree," to both literally and figuratively talking someone off the ledge.

I had no idea how complex the call and respond systems were or really how much work went into keeping the system up and running 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Not because I just didn't know, but because it is a part of living that I just take for granted. If I would have spent more than 10 seconds thinking about it, I would surely have realized how stressful and detailed this occupation is. It's a part of everyday life, something bad happens you know you can call 9-1-1. It really is a job that deserves more respect as they are the ears of a unit that preserves order on the streets.

I was also able to listen to Larry McKinnon speak during my visit. McKinnon is a retired 25-year veteran of the Tampa Police Department now works in the PIO office. McKinnon broke down the workings of filing reports and how we as future journalists will be able to obtain them. McKinnon repeatedly harped on the importance of knowing the 119 statute. Which can be found in all its glorious details here. According to McKinnon the 119 statute has many loopholes and the more we know about it the better. Just one more piece of knowledge in my ever growing understanding of public records.

Chris Davis...Investigative Reporter or Crime Scene Investigating, White-Collar Crime Busting, Government Spy

Imagine you come across an old abandoned house perched on top of a small hill in the woods. Upon entering the house you discover the murdered body of a young family. Who did this?

That is the scene of a unsolved crime that dates back nearly 60 years and is now closer than ever to being solved. With new technologies and an ever improving system of public records investigative reporters like Chris Davis of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune are turning into true crime fighters.

Helping shed light on everything from white-collar crime to half a century old murders, the life of an investigative journalist is becoming more and more the stuff of movies.

Mr. Davis himself was involved in a large scale investigation about Florida residents flipping houses for a profit by committing fraud and gaining millions from the banks. After a lot of time invested in researching public records Davis and his team were able to point out the extravagantly large circle of criminals who defrauded the banks of Florida out of millions of dollars.

Public records can be used to trace financial transactions, which can prove to be useful in fraud cases. Davis and his team were able to obtain individual databases collected from property appraisers in individual counties to assemble a larger database of information to help identify the perpetrators.

Davis was then able to create a very intricate and informative graph that showed who exactly these people were, and how they were all linked in a spider-web type of chart. While no charges have been brought, Davis and the Herald-Tribune are safe from any libel suits because their investigation was so thorough and done with the use of public documents.

This type of reporting, writing and visual-aid construction is what I am sure most news directors could only dream of. To get it in a market the size of Sarasota is something special.

Mrs. McCoy - Master of Information

After our library meeting Tuesday with Cheryl McCoy I feel like I have a much greater grasp not only of how much information is available at our fingertips, but more simply how to access it.

The USF library as most could tell you is quite the source for information, however if you do not know how to access it, it might as well be in Latin. Mrs. McCoy's informative tutorial served as a bit of stress relief as well. Learning and tracking down public records (land deeds etc.) through the internet and Hillsbourough County Commission web-site seemed intimidating at first, but now with the direct link to the site and a step-by-step approach to how to access the information I feel much relieved. In addition Mrs. McCoy showed us how to access the calendar for meetings which will come in handy when we are supposed to go to meetings for Public Affairs Reporting later on in the year.

On a side note of the public records thought, I had no idea you could access virtually anyone's land deed and see how much their house was worth when they bought it etc. I looked up my parents house and sure enough it was in there. I'm sure it will be relevant at some point in the not too distant future, but if nothing else it's just a really neat source of information for me to play with now.

Also after just perusing through the iDigAnswers web-site, just the pure amount of useful information you can find will no doubt come in hand. With everything from Sunshine Law review to blogs and to links to any relevant article written about public records in the state of Florida. It's unbelievable and will without a doubt be a web-site that I will use in my career beyond college as it is an easy way to stay up to speed on the wide world of public records in Florida.

The Infinite World of Public Records

The world of public records is vast and intimidating. With seemingly people ready to rob you of your hard-earned money at every turn, the road can be quite treacherous. However, after our educational visit in class last Thursday I feel vastly more apt at dealing with the wonderful world of records.

After finding out it could be commonplace for any authorities to try and charge potential patrons a higher per hour fee than necessary. However, I learned that they can only legally charge you as much money as the lowest paid employee. This was comforting as I cannot afford to pay some $50 an hour.

I also learned that juvenile records are indeed protected from public record. I had heard that before, but I was never sure so it was good to have the matter settled.

I feel as though I should have known that medical/financial records are confidential, because in every cheesy hospital television show, doctor-patient confidentiality is thrown around like a high school cheerleader at a football game. I also chalk this up to the fact that seemingly every suicide, murder-suicide, domestic disturbance, etc. reported on television is seemingly attributed to a history of mental illness or financial problems in this troubled economy.

The fact that payrolls do not have to be distributed from a place of employment if requested also surprised me. I could have sworn that this particular instance was used in common example of the information that can be obtained in public records.

Also I learned that you public records offices cannot make any new graphs/records. For instance if I wanted to know how many elected officials under 35 have criminal records I would have to request both records and make the graph myself. As both of these records would be kept but not together they cannot make the record for you.

Lastly, just the pure vastness of the information that can be obtained through public records is overwhelming as almost anything you could want is available. Countless times a simple check of public records has resulted in the exposure of criminal activity. As an aspiring journalist this is perhaps the closest I will come to busting a bad guy and that's still pretty exciting.