Jerry Couey and Alan Isaacson have gone from naysayers to local heroes in the last month as more media outlets and open government organizations are realizing their contributions in Santa Rosa County, Fla.
Jerry Couey/Photo courtesy of Florida First Amendment Foundation
Following the dismantling of TEAM Santa Rosa, the county’s economic development organization, Couey and Isaacson felt they could breathe a sigh of relief as their years of worked had paid off. Residents of Santa Rosa County would get a new, and hopefully, an open economic development group.
But things didn’t slow down for the two community activists after that. A slew of media interviews followed and a number of well-deserved recognitions came down the pipeline.
“In bestowing the honor on these two Santa Rosa County residents, the Sunlight Foundation made specific mention of the successful campaign by Couey and Isaacson to force TEAM Santa Rosa, a publicly-funded economic development organization, into compliance with Florida’s open government laws,” stated a FAF newsletter.
Although the process took more than a decade, the public records eventually provided by TEAM led to its dismissal. In an interview with Educated Echoes, Isaacson and Couey said emails from TEAM employees contained discussions of what they considered unethical use of taxpayer dollars.
Alan Isaacson/Photo courtesy of Isaacson
When asked if he would do it all over again, Isaacson told the Sunlight Foundation, “I would, but not because I would want to but because in my opinion someone has to. I appreciate the efforts of citizens who will take on the establishment, endure the name calling and in the end, change the process to ensure more open government.”
As for the other community activist featured in Educated Echoes report on Sunshine Laws, newspaper reporter Joanna Hammond is still keeping a close eye on the investigation of two former high school coaches accused on inappropriate behavior with female students.
Hammond said she continues to call the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office on a weekly basis to see if the status of the investigation has changed. She said the sheriff’s office spokesman told her that charges were still being evaluated by the sheriff’s office and the state attorney’s office, but no disposition has been reached as of this time.
Hammond covered a follow-up story on a related issue in the beginning of April. When Justin O’Quinn was fired from his head baseball coach position at Navarre High School. Justin had taken over as head coach in January after his brother Mickey O’Quinn, one of the former coaches being investigated, resigned admit allegations.
According to Hammond’s Navarre Press article, Mickey was seen in the dugout of a NHS baseball game on March 29 with Justin. Parents and NHS Principal Brian Noack said that Mickey was acting as a coach and even told baseball players that all the charges against him had been dropped.
Hammond reported that Noack had a meeting with Justin to discuss the incident at the away game. While Noack wouldn’t give any details about the personnel meeting, he said Justin was dismissed as the head coach for insubordination. He remains a teacher at NHS.
For more information about these community activists, read Educated Echoes full report about them and the importance of public record laws.
Sunshine Week, March 11-17, is a week dedicated to raising awareness about open government and freedom of information.
Logo courtesy of Sunshineweek.org
Government officials, journalists, schools and civic organizations all participate in some way by educating and advocating for Sunshine Laws.
There is no better time to recognize a few of the Sunshine supporters working tirelessly to make a difference in Northwest Florida by allowing them to share their stories.
They’ve been called every name in the book, but they don’t do it for gratification or limelight. They do it because it is the right thing to do.
These people are journalists, ministers, protesters, retirees and local advocates that have one common goal: to do what is in the best interest of the public.
Joanna Hammond
Hammond is a part-time reporter with Navarre Press, a weekly newspaper on the coast of Santa Rosa County, Florida. While she had no formal journalism training, her passion for writing and politics has allowed her to find her “calling” at the age of 38. The following interview outlines her first investigative project and how she dealt with school officials who were unwilling to cooperate with Sunshine laws.
Hammond said she wanted more people to realize the importance their individual voice and vote could have locally. It’s no secret that voters over the age of 30 have dominated participation in government on a national and local scale.
As of November 2008, only 49 percent of the 3.7 million 18-year-old American citizens were registered to vote, according to Project Vote. Furthermore, a Project Vote study found that about 21 million citizens 29 and younger did not vote in 2008, despite making up 21 percent of the eligible voter population.
Voter turnout is lagging even when examining the entire voting population of one community. According to the Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections Office, the county has about 113,589 registered voters out of the total population of 150,000.
Yet in 2010, only 45 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in the general election. This was a general election for several county commissioners and other constitutional officers. The following graph compares the percentages of voters in elections from the 60s-70s compared to the last 10 years.
Graphic by Jessi Stone
Graphic by Jessi Stone
Alan Isaacson and Jerry Couey
Isaacson is a minister and Couey is a retiree living in Santa Rosa County. They have been a thorn in the side of Santa Rosa County government officials for more than a decade. They’ve received criticism from the public and the media, but they keep plugging along in hopes of exposing and changing the system in which they live.
They also are members of the First Amendment Foundation’s Sunshine Brigade, a coalition of open government and citizen activists across the state. While the two have been monitoring many county projects, their most challenging obstacle was TEAM Santa Rosa, the county’s longtime contracted agency for economic development.
Former TEAM Santa Rosa staff members. Photo courtesy of teamsantarosa.com
The agency was responsible for directing millions in public money and government grants. Even though taxpayers funded 95 percent of the agency’s budget, TEAM would not open up its board meetings and records to the public. The long battle began in 2003 when Couey first requested to see TEAM’s budget.
On Aug. 24, 2011, Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners and TEAM Santa Rosa were served with two FBI subpoenas to testify before the U.S. District Court Grand Jury in September, according to a Navarre Press article. The article also includes the entire subpoenas, which can be downloaded.
The subpoenas demanded that the county and TEAM Santa Rosa hand over documents pertaining to a number of past county dealings, including any communications, negotiations and financial information regarding any properties in Santa Rosa owned by Bill Pullum and other local developers.
“The subpoena also asked for many travel records, including commissioner travel to Guanaja, Honduras at the request of Bill Pullum, travel to Washington, D.C., with TEAM staff and any travel provided by Bill Pullum’s aircraft since 2001,” the Navarre Press reported.
“The FBI doesn’t issue subpoenas and work on something for more than two years without pressing charges,” Isaacson said.
Santa Rosa County Commissioner Jim Melvin called for the disbanding of TEAM Santa Rosa. Photo courtesy of www.santarosa.fl.gov.
County Commissioners agreed to evaluate TEAM’s efficiency in September 2011, and Commissioner Jim Melvin called for TEAM’s termination during a Jan. 23, 2012 meeting in an effort to “rebrand” the county’s economic development organization.
Melvin’s motion passed unanimously. Ironically, Isaacson and Couey now serve on the county’s economic development transitional committee that will make recommendations to the commissioners on how the new organization should operate.
Father Nathan Monk of Saint Benedict Orthodox Church stood his ground for First Amendment rights. Photo courtesy of Nathan Monk.
It’s worth mentioning that Monk has made it his and the church’s mission to help the poor in the community. His church holds a weekly dinner and fellowship for the congregation and homeless. He speaks regularly at Pensacola City Council meetings, but one of his recent addresses caught national attention and more than 190,000 views on YouTube. According to Pensacola Digest, Monk used his allotted five minutes for public comment during a Dec. 15 council meeting to express his distain for how certain council members handled a citizen who addressed the board a few days earlier.
“At that meeting, several citizens had spoken in opposition to the proposed anti-homeless ordinances, and in doing so made unflattering comparisons to historical figures,” the Digest reported.
Pensacola City Council President Sam Hall ruled Monk out of order during a meeting. Photo courtesy of www.ci.pensacola.fl.us.
City Council President Sam Hall claimed the speaker was out of order and had the police escort the speaker out of the chambers. While Hall took the same stance against Monk on Dec. 15 and ordered him to leave the chambers, Monk stood firm to fight for his First Amendment rights.
“During the standoff, council members Sherri Myers and John Jerralds stood up and left their seats in protest,” the Digest stated. Here is a video from the Pensacola City Council meeting that was shared on YouTube by Pensacola Digest.
Occupy Pensacola protesters, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1395 and other community members demanded Hall issue a formal apology to Monk following the meeting, but Hall refused. However, Pensacola Digest reported that Hall finally gave in and issued an apology during a January meeting after a fellow council member made a motion to remove him as council president.
While Hall said he was only sorry for what others perceived as a violation of First Amendment rights, the entire series of events helped raise awareness about perpetual attempts of public officials to stifle public speech.
Knowing your rights
The first line of defense in maintaining an open government is knowing your rights. Florida residents can learn more about The Sunshine Law by visiting My Florida Sunshine online. The First Amendment Foundation also provides a paperback manual or an electronic edition. Here are a few common questions to get you started.
Source: Florida First Amendment Foundation. Graphic by Jessi Stone
2012 Florida Legislative update
The First Amendment gives Americans the right to redress their grievances with the government. However, citizens in Florida may be surprised to find out that they just recently were granted the right to speak at a public meeting. Senate Bill 206, sponsored by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, passed Feb. 14, 2012.
Florida Sen. Joe Negron sponsored Senate Bill 206. Photo courtesy of www.flsenate.gov.
“A city resident may be allowed to attend a local meeting relating to public oversight by a government body, but he or she does not have a legally protected right to speak up,” said Negron in a press release. “Most bodies do give the public an opportunity to be heard on important issues, but for those instances where the opportunity to speak is not afforded, there is no statutory right upon which we can rely.”
For more information about pending legislation that could impact Florida Sunshine Laws, visit the Florida First Amendment Foundation. All it takes are simply actions like voting, attending public meetings and staying informed to make a major impact in your own community.
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The Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation has recommitted itself to promoting and developing the Navarre community.
The nonprofit organization acts as a conduit for local civic organizations and works to support local events, charities and projects. The Foundation’s mission is to assist with community activities, promoting local development and providing nonprofit services through charitable and educational activities. As a nonprofit organization, the Foundation can apply for grants for community projects that otherwise wouldn’t be able to apply for funding.
Foundation Chairwoman Sandi Kemp said the Foundation reorganized at a March 25, 2010 meeting “with the goal to breathe new life into a very valuable resource for the Navarre community.”
Before that meeting, the Foundation was “relatively dormant,” according to Kemp, except for giving annual scholarships to Navarre High School seniors.
The Foundation currently assists Navarre activities like the Fun Fest Run, Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary, Run for the Reef and Christmas in the Park.
Children pose with Santa and Mrs. Claus during the annual Christmas in Navarre Park. Navarre Press/Photo by Jessi Stone
Proceeds from the Fun Fest Run go toward the annual Fun Fest event in Navarre and the Run for the Reef proceeds go toward funding the Marine Sanctuary, which has become a signature project for the Foundation.
Kemp said the Foundation created the Marine Sanctuary Committee with the mission of developing and installing artificial reefs off the shores of Navarre Beach.
After years of planning and executing, the first artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico are being installed this spring. Kemp said the project was the Foundation’s greatest accomplishment to date.
The Foundation also held the inaugural Navarre Jingle Bell Run, and proceeds went toward funding the annual Navarre Christmas in the Park event. All of these events promote a tighter knit community by giving residents things to do without having to leave the area.
Runners and walkers participate in the inaugural Navarre Jingle Bell Run. Navarre Press/Photo by Joanna Hammond
The Foundation also established the Lockwood Memorial Scholarship in honor of Ian Lockwood, a NHS student and athlete who lost his battle with brain cancer In January 2011.
Ian Lockwood Courtesy of Navarre Press
The Foundation has set up a website and a Pay Pal account to make it easy for people to donate to its many worthy causes. People can also purchase and personalize a brick along the beautiful natural walking trail in Navarre Park. Bricks can display the buyer’s name or be dedicated to the memory of a lost loved one.
Kemp said she encourages people to contribute to the Foundation’s cause and become involved.
“I believe in the mission of the Chamber and the Foundation,” she said. “We are an unincorporated area and this is as close as it gets to a quasi– governmental body and the best way to help my community.”
Visit the Chamber Foundation website to donate and support the Foundation’s mission.
Jerry Couey of Milton, Fla., said he wished he would have know about the Florida First Amendment Foundation’s resources sooner in his battle for transparency in government.
In 2003, Couey walked into the office of TEAM Santa Rosa, an organization handling economic development growth in Santa Rosa County. He requested to see the organization’s budget, but was turned away empty handed even though TEAM received 95 percent of its budget from the county.
For years, he has been fighting to expose the organization’s finances and shortfalls. However, fighting these types of legal battles alone is sometimes overwhelming.
Courtesy of YouTube/Jessi Stone
According to Navarre Press, TEAM Santa Rosa no longer has a contract with the county for economic development services and Couey will serve on the transitional committee to establish a new organization. He attributes his success to persistence and the Florida First Amendment Foundation.
The Foundation provides invaluable resources to the public whether you are a member or not. According to its website, the Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization “dedicated to promoting the public’s right to oversee its government through Florida’s Sunshine and Public Records Law.”
The Foundation monitors current legislation that could positively or negatively affect the public’s right to government access and provides a toll-free hotline for citizens and journalists to call if they have a question about public record and open meeting laws. Foundation President Barbara Petersen is always a phone call or email away and is an expert in her field.
The Foundation also takes its responsibility to educate the public seriously. Petersen takes time to hold Sunshine Seminars all around the state to educate citizens, journalists and government officials on different Sunshine issues.
Courtesy of YouTube/The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
It is up to everyone to ensure that local government entities follow the laws. The public has a right to know how taxpayer dollars and has the right to redress their grievances in a public forum.
While we as individuals hold limited power, the Foundation has a larger united voice in Tallahassee. Become a member of the Foundation so that it can continue its mission of monitoring state and local governments. There is no better resource to have standing behind you when you take on your own battle.
Social media has had many benefits for local media outlets but being more visible online also presents new challenges.
More Internet access makes it easier than ever for competing news organizations, open forums and bloggers to copy and paste content from other websites.
Sandi Kemp, publisher/editor of Navarre Press in Navarre, Fla., deals with copyright issues every day.
“We put a copyright notice in the paper as well as keep an eye on local media to make sure they aren’t violating our copyright,” Kemp said about protecting Navarre Press content from copyright infringement.
“It helps that our content is behind a pay wall,” she continued. “However, we have caught our stories on local forums and we have asked them to remove them and point a link to our website.”
If a local story goes viral or makes national news, Kemp said she would make the decision to post the entire article on the website in front of the pay wall to attract more traffic.
Legally, the content created by Navarre Press writers is property of Navarre Press and the same is true for free-lance writers. All writers have to sign a contract stating that they are the sole creator of the story and that it “does not infringe any other person’s copyrights or rights of literary property, nor do they violate the rights of privacy of, or libel, other persons.”
The company has exclusive rights and ownership of the stories and associated material, including multimedia elements. Permission to release stories to other sources is at the sole discretion of the publisher.
Big media like CBS Corporation and Viacom are supporters of the Stop Online Piracy Act, according to the Global Intellectual Property Center website. The bill would attempt to control copyright infringement by curbing access to websites that enable the exchange of pirated content.
Courtesy of ABC Action News
According to a CNN article written by Julianne Pepitone, the legislation would target overseas illegal downloading websites like The Pirate Bay, whose servers are located in Sweden.
So SOPA’s goal is to cut off pirate sites’ oxygen by requiring U.S. search engines, advertising networks and other providers to withhold their services,” Pepitone reported.
But Kemp said she didn’t agree with the “sweeping changes” that SOPA currently represents.
“I believe they should just make it easier for the offending party to be caught and with heavy fines,” she said. “The way it is now, SOPA is overreaching.”
Opponents of the bill have said the legislation promotes censorship and presents too many opportunities for “unintended consequences.”
However well intentioned, SOPA and Protect IP Act didn’t make it through the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate during January.
Not many Florida residents have the ability to keep a close eye on the 2012 Legislative Session for bills that may affect our right to public access, but rest assured that the Florida First Amendment Foundation is closely monitoring bills that could negatively impact the state’s broad Freedom of Information Act laws.
The Foundation also works to educate the public on its right to public records. This video, courtesy of the Foundation, gives a broad overlook at what documents you are entitled to in Florida.
Courtesy of the First Amendment Foundation
The Foundation supports Senate Bill 206 sponsored by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Palm City.
The bill would require that a member of the public be given an opportunity to be heard before a board or commission takes official action on an item of significant interest to the public under certain circumstances; providing exceptions; requiring that a board or commission adopt rules or policies, etc.
Many county commissions do allow public input before a vote is taken. However, some only allow public input at the very end of a meeting.
Barbara Petersen, FAF president, said that the bill reported favorably on Jan. 11 by the Rules Subcommittee on Ethics and Elections.
“The debate on the bill was very interesting – and much longer than usual – and some of our senators had some very strong words of support for both the bill and the right to speak,” she said. “Not surprisingly, the League of Cities objected to some provisions in the bill, but those objections were fairly well swept aside by the comments of senators on the subcommittee.”
Sen. Don Gaetz, the next Senate President, speaks during the 2012 Florida Legislative Session opening day. Gaetz also co-introduced SB 206. Photo Courtesy of www.flsenate.gov.
The Foundation opposes Senate Bill 230 sponsored by Sen. Wise. The website notice of foreclosure Action bill would allow a legal publication, advertisement, or notice of foreclosure action to be placed on a publicly accessible Internet website of a clerk of court instead of requiring the notice to be publicized in any other form of media.
The foundation does, however, support Senate Bill 292, which would require, after a specified date, if a legal notice is published in a newspaper, the newspaper publishing the notice shall also place the notice on a website maintained by the newspaper.
The Foundation also is opposed to Senate Bill 916, which would make public employees’ date of birth exempt from public record laws.
Another supported bill is SB 878, which would make performance evaluations of Florida colleges and university presidents open to public inspection. SB 666 is also being followed because it would require the automatic sealing of a juvenile’s criminal history record once the juvenile has completed all sentences unless the juvenile was transferred to the adult criminal system.
Economic Development is an important component to Florida’s economy, but SB 1206 would make certain economic development records and incentive program record exempt from FOIA.
“Both of these exemptions – economic development program records and economic incentive program records – have been extremely problematic and are based on the assumption that all economic development is good and in the public’s interest,” the Foundation stated on its website. “The two exemptions prevent the public from determining for themselves whether these various programs are for the benefit of the public or whether they benefit the self interests of the private business and corporations who benefit.” Here is a list of the exemptions: a) A private corporation’s plan to locate, relocate, or expand business operations is exempt for up to 24 months after an economic development agency receives a request for confidentiality. b) Trade secrets held by an economic development agency are confidential and exempt and are not subject to public disclosure. c) Proprietary confidential business information held by an economic development agency, including business plans, internal auditing controls and reports, reports of external auditors for privately-held companies, etc., is confidential and exempt and is not subject to public disclosure except under court order. d) Identification, account and registration numbers, such as a federal employer identification number, an unemployment compensation number, or a Florida sales tax registration number, held by an economic development agency are confidential and exempt and are not subject to public disclosure.
However, the bill stipulates that the following information is subject to public disclosure 90 days after an economic incentive agreement is signed, including the name of the qualified business; the total number of jobs the business committee to create or retain; the total number of jobs actually created or retained by the business; the amount of tax refunds, tax credits, or incentives awarded to and claimed by the business; and the anticipated total annual wages of employees the business committed to hire or retain.
For a complete report, visit the FAF website.
Local Occupy Movement groups in Florida have brought open government laws and First Amendment rights to the forefront of debate the last few months.
Most recently, Occupy Tallahassee and other Occupy branches have questioned Florida’s statutes on access to government laws after being denied access to the Senate gallery during the first week on the legislative session, according to Sunshine State News.
Valerie with Occupy Orlando posted on Facebook Tuesday that the group was denied access to the session because they were told they needed to make a reservation.
“We have a right to view our government in action,” Valerie said. “Why would a citizen need to ask to view session?”
Barbara Petersen, president of the Florida First Amendment Foundation, said she was currently covering the legislative session, but wasn’t sure if Occupiers were being denied access to the Capitol.
“Generally, the public is allowed free access to the public areas of the Cap, but may have to make appointments with specific public officials or legislators in order to meet with them,” she said.
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, tweeted about the protesters outside the Capitol on Tuesday.
“With all of the lovely flowers in the House Chamber, I can barely smell the occupy people outside,” he tweeted.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the decision to deny access was made by decision by Sergeant-at-Arms Don Severance.
Michael Peltier with the News Service of Florida reported that Severance said he informed the protesting group that they would not be allowed in the gallery because their behavior was disruptive.
“I told them that I wouldn’t allow them to be disruptive in the chamber,” Severance told Peltier. “They quieted down for a while then got louder again.”
Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, told Peltier after the incident that the chamber had taken huge strides in granting public access to the session.
“We’ve given people a voice. But if people want to dedicate to just being disruptive, I think that’s a whole other matter,” Haridopolos said. “We’ll let them in in the next session, but if they’re going to be disruptive, like any other person that’s being disruptive, they’ll be asked to leave and probably people who want to do the same will be asked to leave.”
According to the Citizen Media Law Project, The Florida Constitution and Sunshine Act gives members of the public the right to access government body meetings. However, a few exceptions exist. Some meetings or sessions may be closed from the public if the topic includes a discussion about pending litigation with the governmental body’s lawyer, strategy discussions prior to collective bargaining negotiations, certain hearings involving minors, and meetings involving probable cause determinations.
Occupy Pensacola also has struggled to preserve its right to protest and free speech. Pensacola City Council Chairman Sam Hall ruled Occupy supporter, the Rev. Nathan Monk, out of order during a December meeting and demanded he leave the chamber.
According to the Pensacola News Journal, Monk was asked to leave the podium before his allotted five minutes were over because Hall didn’t like what he was saying. A video of the incident has almost 200,000 views on YouTube.
Monk and other Occupy supporters called for a formal apology following what some called a violation of free speech. When hall refused to apologize and defended his decision, people called for his removal.
He apologized last week, but Monk told PNJ reporters it was probably too late to mean anything.
“You could imagine that I would be gun shy when accepting your apology,” Monk said to Hall. “I’ve already done it once.”
PNJ reported that Hall had to listen for about four hours Thursday as more than 12 residents and three councilmen called for Hall to step down for his actions. The council failed to remove Hall with a 6-3 vote.
Each governmental body may have different policies on how long a member of the public is allowed to speak during a meeting. So it is important to know what your city council or county commissions’ policies are to ensure they follow them.
The Senate OK’d a bill Wednesday sponsored by Sen. Joe Negron, R–Stuart, that would require public boards to give members of the public the ability to speak at meetings.
“I’m currently tracking over 60 bills that have some effect on open government, the majority creating or reenacting exemptions to the right of access,” Petersen said. “Of note are two good bills: SB 206 and its companion, HB 355 and SB 1464 and its companion 1305.” To access the bill history, bill text, analyses, and any amendments, visit www.flsenate.gov.
Recent government interference with Internet service overseas and in the U.S. has sparked a much-needed debate regarding social media and constitutional rights.
The Egyptian government shut down Internet access completely in some parts of the country and blocked certain social media communications to prevent protest organizing, according to a CNN article.
“We are in favor of free speech, and in the U.S., shutting down communications to prevent speech is a prior restraint,” said Rebecca Jeschke, spokesperson for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
A man exercises his First Amendment rights during an Occupy Pensacola protest. Photo by Jessi Stone
The New York Times reported that the United Kingdom wanted to follow Egypt’s example in August by shutting down Internet to stop protesters from organizing through social media and rioting and looting in London. Riots were sparked by the death of Mark Duggan. Duggan was shot and killed by a police officer.
These occurrences started a debate over whether violate individuals’ constitutional rights. On one hand government officials argue it is for the common good of the people. However, the argument has been made that social media was not just being used to organize protests; it was a way of relaying information to the public.
Jeschke said that the defense of protecting the safety of the public is not a legal protection in the United States.
“Law enforcement should act if and when someone is acting illegally, not when someone is merely debating the appropriate way to exercise their First Amendment rights,” she said.
In August 2011, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit officials shut down underground cell phone service to prevent a planned protest in the train depot. According to An Associated Press article, the protest was the result of backlash after a homeless man was shot and killed by a transit police officer, AP reported.
Two days after the incident, Lynette Sweet, BART’s board of directors member, spoke out against the decision to shutdown Internet service.
“I’m just shocked that they didn’t think about the implications of this. We really don’t have the right to be this type of censor,” Sweet told the press. “In my opinion, we’ve let the actions of a few people affect everybody. And that’s not fair.”
Cite Media Maw Project states that the government’s attempts to censor a publication or someone’s spoken words is clearly a violation, but the Internet makes the matter a little more complicated to determine.
While providing Internet service is not a requirement of the government or businesses like BART, Jeschke said BART violated telecom laws by shutting down cell phone service.
Joy Tsubooka, public information officer for Santa Rosa County, Fla., isn’t an expert on the evolving issue but offered her opinion.
“I would think that any limit on social media or Internet access would violate our First Amendment rights to free speech, press and assembly,” she said. “While social media and Internet postings are not what we would have thought as vehicles for free speech or press in the past, it certainly is in today’s world.”
Having navigated the county through Hurricane Ivan and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill crisis, Tsubooka said only in very specific situations should the government be allowed to interrupt Internet service to the public to prevent riots, protests, etc.
“I would hope that they would have that ability in very extreme cases,” she said. “I could see if we were in some sort of nation-wide disaster like a deadly pandemic or nuclear assault, and rumors were so prolific that they were a factor in riots, deaths, and/or inhibiting the public’s ability to get correct information, than there would be a need.”
Locally, social media outlets have played a major role in the Occupy movement protests. Occupy Pensacola protesters have had some run-ins with the city government but law enforcement has not threatened to disconnect Internet service from the protesters’ designated areas.
Should the government have the ability to shutdown Internet service to prevent protests? Photo by Jessi Stone
Results from a Facebook survey found that about 50 percent of respondents believe teacher unions are necessary in today’s education system.
Tout of 39 respondents, 20 said “yes,” teacher unions are a necessity, 10 people said they didn’t know enough about unions to answer the question, six people said “no” and two people said they were against all types of unions.
Even though the sample size of the survey was small, the quality of the feedback was high. Carrie Archibald from Gainesville, Ga., said she was a still torn on whether teacher unions did more good than bad.
“It’s hard to say if in this day and age how poorly teachers would be treated if there weren’t unions because there is a lot more common sense out there about labor laws in general than in the past (I think),” she stated on Facebook.
Respondents also brought up some compelling arguments for why teacher unions are no longer needed.
John Bradshaw of Clayton, Ga., answered no on the survey.
“I believe inions cause people to get complacent if they know they are protected no matter how well they do, or don’t do their job,” he said on Facebook.
Facebook comment from Kathy Allen
Steve Newton of Tuscaloosa, Ala., said teachers were already a powerful lobbying force as a whole and had made great strides in terms of benefits and pay. However, he still thinks teachers are underpaid.
“This is not to say I am totally against unions but the reasons they are formed can be accomplished via organization, lobbying, etc.,” he said on Facebook.
Facebook comment from Nick Bonelli
Other respondents sympathized with teachers needing to be protected from the system.
“I personally think it’s good to have because they need someone on their side…to help them get what they need…what would we do without teachers?” said Sally Wilburn Keener of Clayton, Ga.
Florida is one of several states moving toward merit pay evaluation systems for teachers to increase student achievement.
The incentive to change teachers pay stemmed from President Barack Obama’s Race to the Top grant funding.
Florida received millions of dollars to implement new teacher evaluation formulas, though some of those formulas are too complicated to explain to teachers unless that have a Ph.D.
Supporters and critics of the new legislation have many valid points.
