Nothing To Hide

Charles Oliver | March 8, 2004

Some 30 Florida news outlets sent staffers posing as ordinary citizens into 234 local agencies in 62 of Florida's 67 counties to see how the complied with the state's open records law. About 40 percent of those agencies either didn't comply at all or made unlawful demands of information seekers. Broward County administrator Roger Desjarlais allegedly told one staffer "I can make your life very difficult." After insisting that the volunteer give his name, Desjarlais used the Internet to identify the volunteer, find his cell phone number and call him after work hours. Gov. Jeb Bush's own office failed to comply with state law.