When I moved to Florida from California a bit more than three years ago, I was amazed by the difference in the public record laws. The Sunshine State has some of the most open laws in the nation.

It is even written into the state constitution — Title X, Chapter 119 for the nerds among you. Surprisingly, though, this is not something that is formally taught at many journalism schools in the state, FIU included. During my time between semesters, I’ve decided to reach out to some of the luminaries in the state to get their thoughts on how to fix this issue.

Today, I’ll be speaking to Joe Adams, the author of the “Florida Public Records Handbook.” The book is an amazingly comprehensive look at the types of records available throughout the state as well as practical tips on how to get the things you need. Though it hasn’t been updated since 2003, a quick internet search revealed that some journalism professors still use it as a text in their courses.

Adams, who is now a senior communications official at the University of Central Florida, told me last week the original intent was to have it updated every two years or so, but a change in the law in the early 2000s regarding electronic record keeping made the already Herculean task essentially Sisyphean. In addition, a job change around that time, the fact he was doing it pretty much on his own, and the very modest financial rewards made continuing it considerably less attractive.

I’m very much looking forward to his thoughts on the state of public records as well as his thoughts on best practices for teaching young journalists how to use this incredibly important tool. More tomorrow!

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