Florida School Hurting in Poor Economy

The economy today is a mess. Individuals as well as businesses from all corners of the country are feeling the pain of the weak market. Cooperate giants and small business owners are suffering but so are government-run agencies. And that includes schools.

Florida school boards are scheduled to submit balanced budgets in July that will reflect the $2.3 billion in legislative cuts to education. Before the 2008/2009 school year even began the Hillsborough County School Board shot themselves in the foot when they re-vamped the transportation system. They took away the courtesy bus for students who live within the 2 mile radius of the school, and they decreased the amount of bus stops. All of this, just to save money. But it caused more problems than was worth.

Schools across the state faced budget cuts which caused a domino effect of issues within the different schools. With no extra money, there is no incentive to keep good teachers, or even fill enough for the amount of classrooms the school holds and Hillsborough County is already facing a shortage of teachers. Of the teachers that are staying in the schools, they often find themselves in a bind. They need certain materials to teach their classes correctly but there is no money in the budget for it so they are forced to purchase it out of pocket, or not have those supplies at all. It is sad, but the children are really the ones that will suffer, and as cliché as it is, the kids are really the future of America.

Also with less money and less staff, School programs are cut. “Summer school programs, extracurricular activities like art and music, and seven period school days will be gone, said Senate Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach. Kids are going to be taught less which once again is bad for all. But Hillsborough County is one area in Florida that is trying to cut other costs instead of teachers. Hillsborough County Public Schools just hired 200 new teachers, according to spokeswoman Linda Cobbe. “We are not cutting any teachers. We will make sure that we don’t affect children and the classroom. There may be positions we don’t fill and we are looking at other cost-cutting measures.”

HillsboroughSchools Review

I have been following Hillsborough county schools since August to see how well the local government can respond to problems and what they do to prevent them from happening.

It all started on Monday August 18, 2008. That was the day they Hillsborough County schools began for the 2008/2009 school year. Actually, the problem started before then…About 2000 calls came in even before the school year started from parents that had a problem with the boards new plan for transportation. They thought they would save time and money by cutting bus stops. There are a few problems with that, one safety of course, and two, many parents and school kids did not know about the route changes. A St. Petersburg Time’s article headlined the morning after this plan was put to the real test “School Starts Smoothly,” but I could not help but wonder how that was even printed. So there were no real problems, if you consider thousands of kids not being able to get to school acceptable. The article quotes “Hillsborough schools had a hectic but mostly trouble-free start of the school year Monday, despite widespread confusion over bus route changes.” I think widespread confusion is actually a problem.

But problems are typical when many people are involved, and it is the local government’s job to attack each road bump as they come along. So how did the Hillsborough County School Board do?

Well a week after the “hectic” start and some bad weather (schools were closed for a day because if Hurricane Fay) the school district said that calls about the bus problems were beginning to “taper off.” But what they mean by that is in just three days they received 1200 calls about the transportation issues. While it is less, it is still unacceptable.

Ironically, days later in August 28^th, Jack Davis, the administrator in charge if Hillsborough County School’s transportation department, decided to retire. The school board said it was because of his health and had nothing to do with the transportation mess. Vice Chairwoman Carol Kurdell said “Physically he just couldn’t keep going.” Another board member, Susan Valdes seemed to counter that argument when in response she said “I’ve noticed a trend when they retire all of a sudden.” She called the problem “a fiasco” and she thought it was because of poor planning.

Parents have major concerns when it comes to the safety of their kids. June Leland and Kathy Walsh do not understand why their 16-year-old daughters have to walk more than 2 miles to get to their bus stop. They voiced their concerns to Superintendent Mary Ellen Elia at a meeting at Coleman Middle School. The moms say it is not safe and the only choice they have is to drive their girls to the bus stop. Elia’s response was that parents actually voted 2 years prior on the current location. Mudra Kumar told her that the focus should be on the kids and that she does not recall a single meeting. The problem, lack of communications once again. But at this time, September 10^th, the calls are down to 600. So they are making some progress, but how long until the number is a single digit?

Days later Elia was grilled at a Town Hall meeting for an array of things, but the hot topic was again the school bus stops. More than a dozen parents stood up to the microphone to voice their dismay in front of the 200 parents and school administrators in attendance. Elia publicly apologized for the lack of communications, but also referred most of the complaints to the transportation manager. She also informed the concerned parents that the board has investigated about 200 bus stops that were cause for complaint and 80 of them have already been changed. This is the first good step I have seen from the Hillsborough School Board in regards to this issue. Elia finally took some responsibility for the problem, let the people speak, actually listened and informed them of what she is doing and what she will continue to do to fix it. Parents in attendance noticed this as well, Luis Padilla spoke about how his 11-year-old autistic son was put on a bus that was late and he was dropped off without a parent waiting. Padilla was unable to contact anyone at the district. After this meeting he did say “I like the fact that I was able to talk to somebody, hopefully everything will work out.”

So with the government moving in the right direction, they can start to work out the problems. On October 27, 2008 the school board had a workshop on transportation. The changes that are planned for next year are;

1. A website that would allow parents to view their bus stops before the 2009-2010 school year begins.

2. A new system to handle parent phone calls that would emphasize returned phone calls rather than placing callers on hold

3. Having drivers practice proposed routes before the first day of school

4. An incentive plan to encourage bus driver attendance

5. Adjusting bell times at some schools by adding or subtracting minutes to give buses more time to get to school.

In all when it came to problems, the School Board of Hillsborough County encountered a giant, but Superintendent Mary Ellen Elia and her staff met the problem face on after taking fault and moving forward.

Mark Sharpe

Mark Sharpe has been the district seven Hillsborough County Commissioner since 2004. Prior to that, in the 1990’s Republican candidate Sharpe ran three races for Congress but lost them all. Also before obtaining a seat in the Hillsborough County Commission he served eight years as an active duty officer in the United States Navy as well as twelve years in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He was also a development officer for a private school as a government relations consultant.

Mr. Sharpe is a native of the Tampa Bay area, although he did make a shot trip to the states capitol in Tallahassee to attend Florida State University where he got his bachelor’s degree in multinational business; but he did return. He continued his educational endeavor to get a masters degree in strategic studies at the University of South Florida. He was born on January 26, 1960. Sharpe is married to Stephanie Ann (formerly known as Stephanie Ann Jennings) Sharpe and they have three children. Mark and Stephanie were both previously married and divorced. They got married to each other on June 23, 1998 by Reverand Charles W. DeArmon. Stephanie was born on April 4, 1969.

Mark Sharpe currently resides in a single family house in Grey Gables at 113 South Glen Avenue in Tampa. The assessed value of his home is $226,543, the exempt amount is $50,000 and the taxable value is $176,543. Sharpe pays $3,958.63 in property taxes annually, but has not yet paid for this year. In 2001 the assessed value of the same house was only $86,371 and he only paid $1,549.23 in property taxes. He and his wife took out a mortgage for this property in June of 2002. They borrowed $210,000. Then on November 17, 2006 they modified their Washington Mutual Home Equity line of credit by increasing it by $75,000. In January of 2007 Sharpe used Dreby Construction Inc to add a pool house onto his home. their Washington Mutual Home Equity line of credit by increasing it by $75,000.

Sharpe is only one of seven County Commissioners for Hillsborough County. Four of them were selected from single member districts and three, including Sharpe were elected county wide, or at large. So what exactly does a county commissioner do? Well, the Board approves the county’s operating and capital budgets and the county’s capital improvement program. According to the Hillsborough County website, “Under a Charter Ordinance that went into effect May 1985, County Commissioners are directed to perform legislative functions of government by developing policy for the management of Hillsborough County.” But the Board also has other responsibilities; they also serve as the Environmental Protection Commission and individual members also serve on other boards. Sharpe is also a Board member of The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, is the Vice Chairman of Tampa Bay Water, sits on the Children’s Board, and is a Board member for the Metropolitan Planning Organization. Sharpe has two Commissioner Aides, Sandy Chan and Eric Larson. They work in the County Building at 601 East Kennedy Boulevard on the second floor and his office phone number is (813)272-5740.

Sharpe is an upstanding citizen as one would expect with this Naval background. He has never been arrested in Hillsborough County and his driving record is squeaky clean, not even a traffic citation.

According to a October Tampa Tribune article, when he was up for re-election in 2006, Sharpe said his top issues during a second term include transportation, economic development, and building a new emergency operations center shared by the city, county and other agencies. In the same article former commissioner Joe Chillura criticized Sharpe for behaving more like an administrator than a board member because he focused more on issues that were not as attention grabbing like other commissioners did. Others focused on issues like banning gay pride recognition or building sports parks while Sharpe overhauled the county’s health care plan while serving as chairman of a 2005 taskforce. Chillura also said “He needs to get involved in more issues that are exciting to the hearts and minds of the public.” But he also said that Sharpe has “the will and determination to slay giants, I’d like to see him get a little more passionate about the things he believes.”

In 2006, Sharpe began making regular visits to Hillsborough schools to meet with student and teachers, he even made an appearance at his Alma Mata, USF. He was quoted as saying he loves to teach and thinks he will “return to the classroom when he is done with politics.”

Sharpe can also be linked with the Rail chatter. He used to be a skeptic of mass transit but later realized the importance of mass transit’s role in sustaining a thriving economy. Sharpe partook in an interview with WMNF 88.5 FM Radio host Mitch Perry in April 2008 about his thought transformation when it came to light rails. Before he supported Rails he thought the solution was actually more toll roads. Perry said “Mark Sharpe’s conservative pro-rail message is a local breath of prominence that outdoes, dare I suggest it, the early work of Ed Turanchik [“he laid out ambitious plans for a city neighborhood; he famously failed with the Civitas project, which was intended to transform downtown's public housing projects through the "new urbanism.” –Creative Loafing] Just a few weeks ago, on November 16, 2008 Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio spoke about bringing better mass transit including rail to Tampa. While mass transit sounds like a lovely idea to many citizens of the Bay Area, it f course means more taxes, but Iorio is still hoping to see this measure on the ballot in 2010. This fight has been fought before but was shot down by the County Commission which need to approve putting any tax referendum on the ballot. This year, two years after Iorio’s first request, the Commission does have the votes to add the mass transit tax on the next ballot. Sharpe was among those supporting the idea and he even has a countdown to the referendum on his wall at his office. He was quoted in a St. Petersburg Times article as saying he came to believe a better mass transit system that includes rail would not only help people tired of paying high prices for gas, but also would boost efforts to transform the region from a low-wage service economy to a high-wage information economy.

Mark Sharpe is also a big supporter of Senator John McCain. In fact, when McCain held his National Security roundtable in Tampa in January 2008, Mark Sharpe was one of the participants. I guess we know who he voted for in the 2008 Presidential election! (http://www.viddler.com/explore/realvideo/videos/67/)

In all, republican Mark Sharpe seems to be a pretty good politician. He follows his own ideas of trying to do what is best for the people that he represents instead of just following party lines. He has kept his nose pretty clean for the only criticism I found of him was from Mr. Joe Chillura, the former county commissioner who thought Sharpe’s issues were not flamboyant enough. But the citizens of Hillsborough County approve of their District 7 County Commissioner as he has been re-elected twice.

http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/bocc/commissioners/sharpe.cfm

http://www.tbo.com/news/politics/MGB1KYXTATE.html

http://www.tamparail.org/comment.asp?entry=439

http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/mark-sharpe.asp?cycle=04

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/article512108.ece

http://www.viddler.com/explore/realvideo/videos/67/

http://www.implu.com/lobby_firm/4529

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article904947.ece

http://www.city-data.com/elec2/94/elec-TAMPA-FL-94-part2.html

http://www.hillstax.org/taxapp/property_information.asp?pmid=3816781

www.hillsboroughcounty.org/transtaskforce/resources/publications/agendas/minutes/2008/0408ecap.pdf

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/11/10/Hillsborough/County_to_refocus_hea.shtml

http://pubrec2.hillsclerk.com/patraffic/searchbyname.aspx

http://pubrec3.hillsclerk.com/oncore/showdetails.aspx?id=12366026&rn=0&pi=0&ref=search

http://pubrec3.hillsclerk.com/oncore/showdetails.aspx?id=10402227&rn=27&pi=0&ref=search

http://www.vote-john-mccain-2008.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/19d8f9f1-48cf-4a4f-b0e2-8e88dad7a14e.htm

Public Meeting 3

Digital. It is a relatively small word, but it has been the center of a much bigger meaning recently. Starting on February 1, 2009 anyone who still uses “rabbit ears” or antenna’s to receive their television programming, will see nothing on their screens if they don’t convert their T.V.’s to be digitally ready.
The Tampa chapter of the society of Broadcast Engineers and Hillsborough County Television held a seminar style meeting on November 12, 2008 to help Tampa residents not only make the transition to digital smoothly, but also to understand why this is all happening.
Vinny Lopez who was moderating the night opened the evening with explaining that when all televisions are digital there will be many different advantages, other than better T.V. “Not only are we going to have better television, we’re freeing up spectrum for other use, better wireless service, fewer dropped calls, better performance by the United States in getting Broadband out to Rural America and to the inner city, where our country isn’t doing to well compare to a lot of other countries in the world, freeing up spectrum for public safety and building an interoperable public safety network in this country.”
While the transition is nation-wide, economics were taken into consideration. In these tough economic times when people are forced to choose between medication and food, it would be hard to encourage people to buy digitally ready television sets, so the society of Broadcast Engineers did come up with a fair solution. Every household is allowed to apply for two coupons, good for $40 off of an converter box purchase. The price of the box starts at $40, so it actually is a reasonable offer.
Lopez encourages the crowd to buy now, “As soon as get that coupon, buy the converter box. Don’t wait until the last minute rush so Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart runs out. Do it while there are a lot of sets available. Buy. Apply. Try. Take it home, hook it up. The Digital age is already here.”
People do seem to be pretty receptive to the whole transformation. I believe they can accept it because they do not have to upgrade alone. They have given all the reasons why the transformation will occur, and they are given the financial assistance to participate. All in all, the FCC is doing a great job rallying the country.

Tax Collector

I was not able to visit Doug Belden, the Hillsborough County tax collector but, Jeanette brought me back a handful of brochures filled with information.

After reading them, I learned that the tax collector is responsible for a lot more than I thought. First of all, he is responsible for collecting taxes obviously, but it seems like Mr. Belden has worked hard to make the nauseating experience a little less stressful. He modernized two of the four branches which resulted in more parking and shorter lines. That is a step in the right direction because people hate to wait, so that elevates some of the tension. Belden managed to cut the wait time from 45 minutes to just 8 minutes. Tax payers also seem to appreciate the effort because 98% of people who have sent in comment cards responded positively. People can also pay their taxes over the phone or online through the website www.hillstax.org.

In addition to paying taxes, three of the tax collectors offices offer drivers licenses services. There is however a $5.25 charge for drivers licenses transactions processed by the tax collectors office. People can also get information about where to go to renew Class E drivers licenses, commercial licenses, ID cards, and how to go about changing your address.

Another service the Hillsborough County Tax Collector offers is license plate renewal and mobile home decal renewal.

As a journalist, the website www.hillstax.org can be a very valuable resource. For one you can find out if someone has paid their taxes…and you can also find out what properties people own. If you know what you are looking for, the Hillsborough Tax collector can be a very valuable resource.

Steve Andrews, Investigative Reporter

Visiting Steve Andrews, Chief Investigative Reporter for News Channel 8, WFLA, was a great experience. He is one of the most respected investigative reports in the area by his colleagues and one of the most feared by his victims.
Mr. Andrews demonstrated the patience and hard work that goes into pursuing a full-fledged investigation. After the tip is received there is a combination of interviews and many public records searches that are required to uncover the truth and ask for change.
It was definitely eye-opening to see the stack of records he received for the reservoir story. He had to comb though each one individually because hidden in all of the clutter there was the story he was searching for. Also, the interview questions that made air were hard hitting and impossible to avoid. I think that is what makes him so successful. Something I took away from this meeting was that sometimes it is not the question itself, but it is how you ask it. I actually has some practice with this, I was trying to find out if someone had been vaccinated against a disease they died from. While medical records do not fall under public domain, I needed to find a ways to get the answer. After asking the doctor straight forward, she explained she could not tell me. Then at the end of the interview I rephrased the question and she answered it.
I believe that the type of reporting that Steve Andrews does is what real reporting is all about. What is the purpose of being a reporter is you cannot provoke change. Although that attitude comes with its own price. Andrews reported on the Harry Lee Coe’s gambling. While that is not illegal, Coe was apparently embarrassed of his involvement and tried to have computer records destroyed. That is illegal. Andrews kept up with him, and when after the story aired, Coe committed suicide. Even worse, Andrews was the man that found him dead in his car under the Crosstown Bridge. While I do not believe it is Andrews fault that Coe is dead, I personally would find it hard to sleep at night. That to me brings up a dilemma. How do you know how far to take a story, or why pursue an investigation where no illegal actions are happening?
Nonetheless, I learned a lot about investigative reporting. This all from the father of one of my favorite ESPN sports reporters.

Midterm

1.

The PIO for the Department of Children and Families, Al Zimmerman was arrested on child pornography changes. If I was assigned to cover an in-depth analysis of this man there would be a multitude of records I would need to review.

I would start out by visiting http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us so that I can look up Mr. Zimmerman’s charge report. From this document I would find out the charges he was brought up on as well as some personal information such as his address. From the report I am also able to determine that Zimmerman was brought up on 8 counts of use of a child in a sexual performance. His arrest date and time would also be displayed. The amount of bond set and the status of the individual would also be on the report. In this instance, Zimmerman posted 120,000 dollars bail.

I would also talk to the PIO for the Tampa Police Department. I know that cases involving minors would be under an exemption of the Florida pubic records law, in fact, the Florida Public Records Handbook states that, "any criminal intelligence information or criminal investigative information which reveals the identity of the victim of the crime of sexual battery or other sexual offense; lewd, lascivious, or indecent assault upon or in the presence of a child; or child abuse is exempt from disclosure," but I would still try to find out a little bit about the victims without getting too personal. I would want to know if the children were in the DCF’s care, the age of the victims, how many there are for sure, and how many more there might be. I feel talking to the PIO can produce valuable information without crossing the unethical line because of the status of this crime.

To obtain the final disposition of Zimmerman’s criminal charges, I would contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Then I would go to https://www2.fdle.state.fl.us/cchinet/ to get a criminal background check to see what Zimmerman’s past criminal history looks like. Could this be a onetime mistake or does he have a history of child pornography or any other crime?

From there I would search the local newspapers, both the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times for old articles that might give me more background information. To enhance this search I would use Lexus Nexus and type in Al Zimmerman into the search field under the news heading. I would first check the last year but then, of time permits I would go back even farther.

After doing all of my research on his criminal background, I would try to answer the question why and how. Why would a man, a former Bay Area reporter and a PIO for the Department and Family Services commit these crimes? The better question I would seek an answer for is How does this happen. To answer both I would need a character witness, and I would start at the DCF. Once I got there I would need to speak with the DCG Secretary Robert Butterworth. I would want to know what he knows about Zimmerman and his criminal activity. I would also ask about any unusual behavior or odd and quirky habits Mr. Zimmerman might have possessed. After speaking with Mr. Butterworth, I would try to talk to some of the DCF workers. They would have been around Zimmerman and have worked with him so they might have picked up on some abnormal behavior, or maybe he might have even confessed something to them. It does not hurt to dig around though. The more people I talk to, the more information I would get. And something someone says can easily be a tip to a whole new iceberg.

After that I would try to contact the News Director, Mike Gautreau at Bay News 9. Al Zimmerman was a reporter there in 2004, so maybe the News Director would have some more information. T.V. stations usually do background checks so it would be interesting to see if they found anything in their search four years ago.

Although this would not be records, I would want to talk to a psychologist to find out why something like this could happen. I would ask How does a man in a position such as Zimmerman’s commit this type if crime. Although they would not be at liberty to give me any of Zimmerman’s medical records including mental health records, they might be able to provide some insight.

2.

The Florida Sunshine Law, which deals with Public records and who is allowed to obtain public records, can be found in Chapter 286 of the Florida Statutes. It is every person’s constitutional right to review or get a copy of public records. There are however some exemptions. According to myflorida.com, “These essential laws afford citizens of our state the ability to see behind the curtain of government and remain involved in the processes that affect their lives. Without this access there is little accountability, and accountability is vital for good government.” Florida’s public records law relies on the principles of open government. This all started in 1909 when the first public records law was passed. It is now Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes. To sum it up, basically any record made or received by any public agency is to be available for the public to review. There are some exceptions made by the Legislature. The real question is what defines a public record…it used to just be regular written documents and books, but with the boom of technology, that definition has changed. Tapes, pictures and even computer files now fall under public record.

The Commission of Open Government Reform was created by Governor Charlie Christ in June of 2007. Executive Order 07-107 says:

- “An open and accessible government is the key to establishing and maintaining the people’s trust and confidence in their government and its ability to effectively serve its citizens.”

- “The state of Florida has a long history of providing public access to the records and meetings of public entities.”

- “Florida must continually strive to be a national leader in open government reform.”

- “Streamlining and clarifying applicable laws and policies will result in making government more open, accessible, and accountable to its citizens.”

- “a formal review of Florida’s open government practices will promote consistency, eliminate redundancy and provide public servants the tools they need to serve the people of Florida with integrity and transparency.”

Section one says the commission should give recommendations regarding Florida’s public record and public meeting laws. Section two lays out how may members the commission will consist of, 9. It also lays out who is allowed to be on the board. Of those 9 commissioners, the governor appoints one to be the Chair. Sections three discusses some of the issues that the commission should deal with. Section four says the commission is not allowed to take any compensation for doing their job. Section five lays out what organizations are subject to executive order 07-107.

According to Governor Charlie Christ’s website Florida voters believe that open government provides the best assurance of government that is responsive and responsible to the needs of the people.

While public officials are constantly being monitored, there is a very fine line between the public’s right to records and information, and the public officials privacy. That is why certain information is not part of the public domain. For example, an agency such as the Sheriff’s office, would be protected. Some information that would be common public information such as an address would be redacted. This protects the agency worker and his family. While this may make it appear that public officials have more leniency in regards to public information, that is not true. The public deserves to know and in some cases needs to know where their tax dollars are being spent. It is their money therefore it is their right. So the Reform commission works with the public to make sure Florida’s public records law, and Article 1, Section 24 of the Constitution are being implemented in the way they were meant to be.

3.

If I were assigned to do an in-depth, documentary profile of State Senator Victor Crist of Tampa, I would start by researching his actions as a governmental official. I would want to see how he votes on legislation, who he donates money to, what contributions he takes and what lobbyists are supporting him. I would do this by logging onto flsenate.gov and clicking on the senators tab. From there I would find his name to get a reliable biography. Then I would go to www.sunbiz.org to research the corporate officers, when the corporation was founded and what corporations Victor Christ owns. Then I would follow the money. You can find out a lot about an official by simply following where the money came from….and where that money came from and so on.

To find out personal information about Crist, such as what type of car her drives, I would order an AutoTrack profile. Since Mr. Crist is a public official, this process is actually very simple. To get his voting record, I would go to the state of Florida government website because all votes are public record.

The website moneyline.cq.com is a very valuable website to learn about who has made campaign contributions to certain candidates. I would also visit opensecrets.org to find any additional campaign information. This website is great for showing what trends exist in campaigns, and what trends exist in the financing of a campaign. If most of the candidates money came from a certain company or group of companies I would want to research into those individual companies. I would search to find out why there is that vested interest, and who is benefiting from it. Usually there is a bigger reason.

Goodwill and the Juvenile Justice Department

People everyday are talking about how to change this country. They are debating which Presidential candidate to vote for come November, based on who can fix America’s ailing problems. But what people all over the country and even here in the Tampa Bay Area don’t realize is that the true future of America and the country’s foundation is our youth.
In Hillsborough County at the Juvenile Justice meeting on September 19, 2008, a group of citizens and board members gathered to discuss ways to help the county’s kids achieve success and stay out of trouble. In tough economic times it is very easy to worry about one’s self first, how to put food on the table, how to fill up the gas tank, but Stephanie Anna, a representative from goodwill laid out a plan to help struggling families not forget or ignore their children.
Goodwill has a program in tact for the areas troubled youth that focuses on three areas that include providing employment skills, increasing academic performance, and providing industry specific training. “The goodwill role in the project, we have case managers, we have counselors, and we have staff that go out specifically and engage employers because without employers this project can’t succeed,” says Anna.
From a parents point of view, submerging their children in these programs cost time and money, but the origination did consider that as well and they will provide financial assistance. Anna assures the group, “We pay for transportation, training, support. If they want to go to college we can help pay tuition costs. If they need appropriate interview clothes, work boots, things like that, we can pay for all of that.
Goodwill wants to keep kids engaged in the program so they offer them incentives. After they complete certain components of the program they are often awarded with cash to keep them coming back. What they don’t know is that they are given a much bigger reward, a second chance.
For a child to qualify for this goodwill funded project, they must be between the ages 16 and 21 and they much have a Department of Juvenile Justice background. But just because a kid started down the wrong path does not mean that he cannot turn around. One of the first steps the organization takes is to enroll the participant in job ready classes. The Boys and Girls club of America developed content to guide a three week program. It will teach the child everything from how to properly shake hands with an employer to how to correctly write a resume. “It’s a great program. It’s a building block for us. It’s the beginning, and it really sets the tone for the entire project,” urges Anna.
Stephanie Anna than provided proof. Jamal dropped out of high school in the tenth grade but his education level was significantly below that of a tenth grader. But after participating in Project Bridge, Jamal is now enrolled in college. Goodwill helped him graduate high school and taught him to drive a car. He completed an internship and was even offered a full time job. Anna said she ran into Jamal this morning and said “actually, he is happy.” That is what our country needs.
While the economy seems to be crumbling around us, it is imperative to help our youth. Once a child starts heading in the wrong direction, it is vital to intervene and give them the guidance they need to become an asset to the community and the country as a whole.

William March

William March, chief political reporter for the Tampa Tribune took us though the process to investigating public officials and documents. He gave us an array of websites to use to find profiles on certain people, and different reports to obtain information.

He spoke a lot about campaign contributions which I found very interesting. There is a limit on the amount of money a company can contribute to a certain candidate, but there are ways that sneaky and surreptitious company heads can get around that. The example Mr. March gave us was that the big boss might give a hundred employees a $1000 raise, but then they would turn around and say…well I am expecting to see a thousand dollar contribution to so and so’s campaign. So in reality the money is coming from the same place. We learned that in this case the employeers were not peanilized which I think is a good thing. With the economy the way it is today, people are desperate to hold onto their jobs. So if their boss says hey do this, it is ok, they are going to do it to prevent losing the position they hold.

I was also intrigued when Mr. March asked how many people think there should be a limit placed on the amount of money one can contribute to a single candidate. Most of the class thought there should but one guy said otherwise, and I really liked his argument.

He said that with the ease of access for public records and campaign contributions, it is very easy to spot something unusual. As Journalism students we should pounce on that, It would be pretty easy to determine which companies are getting some sort of kickback from the candidate or the party.

I really enjoyed listening to William March speak about political reporting because it is an area that I do not know a lot about. It was also very cool that the next day when I was reading the Tampa Tribune, I read a few of his articles about the 2008 presidential race.

County Clerk

Listening to Pat Frank speak to our Journalism class was an enlightening experience. The county clerk is responsible for a lot more than I though, honestly I didn’t really know whatthe county clerk does.

When I first walked in and saw this tiny elder woman at the head of the table, I was a little surprised. I was ever more surprised when I realized how much command she had over everyone in the room that was listening. She is very educated and committed to her job. It was actually refreshing and inspirational to see a woman her age inflicting so much change for the better. The best part is that she was just re-elected. I really loved the fact that Ms. Frank was completely in the loop with technology. My grandmother hates technology. She does not own a cell phone, has no idea how to use a computer and still owns her first black and white television set with the antenna. So listening to Ms. Frank talk about digitizing every court document was astonishing. I think she knows more about the computer age than I do, and I work with it everyday.

I also learned a lot about the court house. I know this is a silly thing to remember, but I always knew weddings were expensive…but I also thought is you got married in city hall or eloped, than it was, well, free. So I was a little shocked to find out that is cost close to $100 for a marriage certificate.

When Ms. Frank spoke about the economy and how it related to her particular field, I think I realized for the first time that no company or organization, even governmental ones are exempt from the distress. The e-recording process is taking quite a bit of time because there are a ton of documents and someone needs to be paid to digitize them. Also the economic crisis seems to be creating more and more documents for the county clerks office to handle. “As revenue goes down, foreclosures go up, Frank explained. The clerk is responsible for that document so it creates more work for the office. Frank also said “As the economy turns sour, you see things happening on a criminal arena, people will rob to get the money they want or think they need. It’s sad to see where society is going.” So it really is opened my eyes to the fact that governmental agencies are also feeling the ripples of the economic crash.

In all, visiting the Pat Frank and the county clerk’s office, really gave me a new perspective on so many things. I hate to think of how uneducated I am when it comes down to public affairs issues, but the knowledge I gained will definitely make me a better journalist.

Orient Road Jail

Major Robert Lucas took the class on a tour of the Orient Road Jail. It was definitely different than I expected. I have never been to a jail before, but I honestly thought that television and movies portrayed it the way it actually is. I was expecting tiny cells made from iron that are always locked. I was definitely wrong.

Our first stop was booking. That was unbelievable to me. People were walking around free. Before Major Lucas explained what was going on I though there were just a lot of visitors. I had no idea that everyone in that room (except the employees obviously) were actually all people that were recently arrested. It was incredible to me how different the jail actually was from what I was expecting. Another thing that was different to me was the phones. Major Lucas told us that as long as they behave, those who were “arrested” are allowed to be on the phone for as long as they want. As long as they are local phone calls, there is no limit. It is so weird how different jail is from television shows.

Walking around each annex and listening to Major Lucas and the other officers speak, I couldn’t help but draw the comparison of Jail to Preschool. Obviously it is very different, but the principle is the same, if you misbehave you have to sit in a holding cell (or time out). Honestly it is a little humiliating.

When we visited the cells that carry the inmates who are serving time for a felony there was actually one inmate on suicide watch. I found it pretty inappropriate that Mr. Lucas took the class in that room and shared her story. I doubt he did anything wrong, but it seems to me to be a little unethical. While I understand she is an inmate, she is still a human being and I would think her mental issues should be kept private.

But the jail wound up to be a completely different experience than I was expecting. The inmates had a lot more freedom than I thought they would get, and the stereotypical scene of a jail is very far off.

J.D. Callaway and the Hillsborugh Sheriff's Department

Visiting the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department taught me a little bit about how to obtain certain records. In the back of my mind I think I knew that these records were available to the public, but I never thought to actually look at them as a source of information.

Hillsborough Sheriff’s spokesperson, J.D. Callaway, explained the process a reporter would take to find out information on people who have been arrested. First the reporter would check for a news release. As soon as the department has enough correct information to pass along they will send out a public news release. This release will usually have the who, what, when, where, why and how of the case. After that, the reporter would want to request the individual’s charge report. There would be more personal information on this report, such as hair and eye color, address and status of their arrest. The next step the reporter would take would be to obtain a criminal report affidavit. This form would have information about the crime or incident that landed this person in handcuffs. To protect that person, some information, including their social security number would be blacked out. The affidavit would also include the charges that the individual is being brought up on. And then there is always the incident report that might also have some extra information. I learned that it is best to read all of the reports possible so the reporter becomes an expert on the case.

It was very interesting to see the 9-1-1 call center. Operators seem very calm when they are on the phone with potential emergencies. It was an interesting experience to say the least.

Before entering the Sheriff’s Department, I learned that J.D Callaway was involved in a case where he gave out wrong information. Not knowing Callaway beforehand, my thoughts of him were a little tainted. Upon reading into the case, I found out that a man abducted and raped two women after being released in bail from the Hillsborough County Jail. Police in St. Petersburg said he was a rape suspect but Callaway said that the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department was never told that. Turns out they were made aware of this persons status and Callaway confessed to that. The problem I had with that was in the way he did. According to tampabay.com Callaway said in response, "That was my ignorance. I did find out later that we had been notified by St. Petersburg police that Rigoberto Martinez was a suspect in a rape," Callaway said. "It was my bad."Two women were raped and all he says is “my bad.” That just does not sit very well with me. Citizens should get a sense of safety from their sheriff’s department, and I think Callaway should have taken a little more responsibility, or at least shown some remorse.

Nonetheless, visiting the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department was a great experience, and I learned more about how to get a hold of certain information.

Coastal Canal Dredging in Hillsborough County

Beautiful crystal clear water, deeper and wider canals; both things waterfront property owners would love to have; but, they do not want to pay for it. At the coastal canal dredging meeting on September 10, 2008, Hillsborough county residents gathered in the auditorium at Sickles High School to learn about how the county wanted to move forward with canal dredging process.
Since Hillsborough County is a large area, Martin Montalvo, Operations Manager of Specialized Services in Hillsborough County explained to citizens that they should form small committees in their own community. Having many small Municipal Service Benefit Units (MSBUs) allows for only the area benefiting form the service provided to be taxed for it. For every small canal, a new MSBU would need to be formed, and the community would need to decide on a leader or representative. It is possible for one resident to belong to multiple MSBUs. Than the MSBU would need to get 40% of the entire community to sign off on a petition agreeing to "discuss" possible drudging for their canal.
It is important to understand that this initial petition phase comes at no cost or obligation to the citizens. After this phase, the government will come in and assess the canal and the soil surrounding it. The assessment is at the expense of the government, not the citizens, and they are using grant money as one source to fund that. Then the government will present a hard cost. "The price will be inflated about 30% so I can present you with the worst case scenario," says Montalvo. If the MSBU later decides that they do not want to go through with the process, they can walk away for no cost. Or if they decide that the price is just too much , they can decide as a group to decrease the amount of work that was recommended, for example, if the experts decide that the canal you live on should be dredged five feet for "x" amount of dollars, your MSBU can request four feet of dredging for less money. "Form the MSBU first, and then fight about money," is Jack Berlin's philosophy. He has been listening to the same arguments from both the government and the citizens for twelve years. From 1995-2007 he served as the Chairman of the Canal Advisory Board, and does not believe anything will get accomplished if the only thought on the residents mind is money.
It is also vital that all residents understand that the Hillsborough County government can and will include all homes that they deem will "reasonably benefit" form the dredging process. That means, all homes upstream of a canal, will benefit and will pay. But how do those houses benefit you might ask? Well the property value of the houses on a canal as well as up steam houses will increase therefore, those homeowners would be responsible for payment. Payments are made along with property taxes; in fact, that is where you will see the tax increase. Failure to pay for the dredging is considered as failure to pay your property taxes.
A common comment from citizens was, "well how does this effect me directly." Frances Valdes, the Administrative Assistant compared canal dredging to education. "It may not directly help or concern you now, but it will in the future." Just as the youth are the future of this country, canal dredging will prove its worth in time.

Martin Montalvo can be reached at (813)744-5671 or via e-mail, Montalvom@hillsboroughcounty.org

Jack Berlin can be reached at JBerlin@jpg.com

Frances Valdes can be reached at (813)-744-5671

Matthew Doig, Investigative Reporter

Matthew Doig, an investigative reporter for the Sarasota Harold Tribune, proved how important public records really are. He put a real-life practical use to all of the information we learned from Adria Harper the week before Doig visited.

I found the story he wrote about teachers in his community to be very interesting. Doig and his partner proved that teachers who pass the required exam the first time teach in more privileged schools, while the teachers who fail the test multiple times teach in the poorer “minority” schools. That is a valuable piece of information for the public to know. The topic was interesting, but what I found more intriguing was that once he gathered all of the information he needed from as many agencies that he needed them from, he simply loaded all of the data into one database which pretty much just spit out the results. It is still exciting to me how technology really does affect every job.

Another part of Doig’s presentation that stood out to me was when someone asked how he goes about obtaining public records from other states. Even though each state has their own laws, Doig goes about getting public records the same way as he would in Florida. If he has problems with the agency and receiving the information he needs, he will than go back and review that stats particular law.
It was all very interesting to me.

Harper’s presentation went hand in hand with Doig’s. While Harper works to educate people about public record laws in Florida, Doig is evaluating those records to uncover corruption and dig for the cold hard facts, all for the betterment of his community. Doig simply illustrated the importance of understanding the Public Record laws in a practical manner. To “investigate” properly, one needs to be able to get their hands on certain information and I believe Doig did a great job exemplifying that.

First Amendment Foundation, Adria Gonzalez

After listening to Adria Gonzalez from the First Amendment foundation speak, I learned more about public records and how easy it is, or should be to obtain certain records as protected by the First Amendment. 

I learned what defines a public record according to the First Amendment, “public records are defined as all documents, papers, letter, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software, or other material, regardless of physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission, made or received…in connection with the transaction of official business by any agency.”

As a future journalist it is important for me to know what my rights are and how to obtain the information I need.  It is very important to know and understand Chapter 119, which says “all state, county, and municipal records shall be open for inspection and copying by any person.”   It was also very interesting to learn that the agency, in which you are requesting records, is not allowed to make a profit on providing records.  They are only allowed to charge for raw materials and for the minimum hourly wage of someone qualified to handle the request.  So if the clerk is qualified and he gets paid twelve dollars an hour they are not allowed to charge you fifty for someone more qualified. 

The rules go the other way as well.  If I, as the reporter, called an agency to request a copy of a document two hundred pages in length, and tell them my deadline is in a hour, I would be being unreasonable and they have the right to deny my request. 

I feel Adria did a great job presenting the material and I really enjoyed what she had to say.  I learned very valuable information that I will definitely use in my career as a broadcast journalist.