Shining a Light on Government

(Tim Nickens Deputy Editor of Editorials, St, Petersburg Times)

Guest speaker Tim Nickens, Deputy Editor of Editorials at the St. Petersburg Times, stressed the importance of Florida’s Sunshine laws and their validity in every type of reporting. As a reporter in Florida I have access to a multitude of documents that in other states, with less stringent laws, I would have no right to obtain.


The sheer amount of information that is available to the public is staggering—one can inquire on a person’s voting history (although how they’ve voted is withheld), how much a house is appraised for, criminal history, finances, even 911 calls. This information can be incredibly invaluable during election time; a reporter can help the public learn about the candidates while also sorting out fact from fiction on their claims. Public records can also help shed a light on any discrepancies or suspicious dealings, such as the case with attorney general candidate Pam Bondi and former House Speaker Ray Sansom.

(Pam Bondi Republican candidate for Attorney General)

Pam Bondi, a self proclaimed tough talking conservative Republican, was once a Democrat! Through Hillsborough County election records anyone can see that Bondi was registered as a Democrat from 1984 until 2000.

  (Ray Sansom former House Speaker, Florida)

Ray Sansom’s story is a cautionary tale to any future member of government; reporters will follow a trail. When a $6 million dollar college classroom never quite comes into fruition, someone surly must realize that people are going to become suspicious. The private airplane hangar being built with $6 million down the road for someone who donated to both the college and Sansom’s campaign, well apparently the people involved thought no one would notice. But reporters did take notice and thanks to the Sunshine laws there are public records as proof that can be used against Sansom at trial.


Mr. Nickens lecture called for each and every one of the future reporters to think outside the box and never be afraid to ask for help—you never know what you might learn. I don’t honestly believe that before this presentation I would have thought to look up a candidates voting history, I probably would not know that I could! I also wouldn’t have known that each year Florida’s Sunshine laws face hundreds of exemption proposals that threaten the wealth of knowledge available to citizens. The Sunshine laws help shine a light on government and keep the people of Florida safe from most corruption and shady dealings.

For more information on Tim Nicken’s check out http://www.tampabay.com/company/about-us/times-executives/bios/tnickens

For more information on Pam Bondi check out http://www.pambondi.com/

For more information on Ray Sansom check out http://www.tampabay.com/