Yes, it’s a Florida public record. Good luck getting it.

Public agencies across Florida are comfortable slow-walking public records requests.

By John Hill, Tampa Bay Times – Opinion, February 2, 2024

Wouldn’t Hillsborough County taxpayers like to know how much of their money the state is holding from an ill-fated transportation tax?

We thought so, too — which is why I have been asking state agencies that question for weeks, to no avail. The figure is north of $569 million, but exactly how far north, they won’t tell me. With the Legislature working to strike a deal soon on how to spend the money, Hillsborough taxpayers should at least understand exactly what’s at stake. It’s their money and their roads — and it’s a public record, after all.

Unfortunately, there’s a big difference in Florida between the open government laws and open government in practice. The sad tale gets sorrier by the year as elected officials and bureaucrats grow ever creative and comfortable in concealing public information. Budget documents, arrest reports, hiring records, purchase agreements — this is only some of the information slipping from public view. The net effect is that Floridians are increasingly denied a clear picture of how decisions are made, who’s pulling the strings and how governments spend our money.