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On the heels of high-profile wins, a government transparency effort seeks to expand its reach
On the heels of high-profile wins, a government transparency effort seeks to expand its reach by Anne Geggis Sarasota-based Florida Center for Government Accountability launches 'Defenders of Democracy' campaign. Ghost candidates, migrant flights’ secrecy, and...
Manatee Sheriff’s Office recommends charges for former administrator Scott Hopes
Melissa Pérez-Carrillo and Gabriela Szymanowska Sarasota Herald-Tribune The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has recommended charges for former Manatee County administrator Scott Hopes. The Sheriff’s Office received multiple complaints about Hopes in February,...
FLCGA Investigation Update: State finds Broward water district broke laws and stymied competition as it handed out millions in public contracts
A public utility in northwest Broward County violated state law while doling out nearly $70 million in public contracts, according to a preliminary report issued by the Florida Auditor General. The North Springs Improvement District (NSID), which provides 40,000...
Collier Commissioner McDaniel sued for failing to release 350,000 private emails he used for county business, taxpayers to foot the bill
Collier County Commissioner Bill McDaniel has apparently been conducting a lot of county business on his personal email account – and now taxpayers will be footing the bill to defend him in a lawsuit filed by a local golf course over it. The commission voted Tuesday...
Column | Open government shouldn’t take lawyers
A former state lawmaker’s fight for COVID-19 data illustrates the ways government all too often keeps public information private, our Capitol Columnist writes. By Bill Cotterell Gov. Ron DeSantis holding a news conference about COVID-19 treatments at a Florida...
The Sheriff and the Fraudster: Lee County’s top cop won’t answer questions about his association with a crooked campaign donor
On paper, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno and alleged serial swindler Malek Khalil line up as natural adversaries, not friends. Marceno is a popular lawman who grandstands over drug offenders and other defendants sent to the Lee County Jail, or “Marceno’s Motel,”...