Highlands County, Florida

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Highlands County is one of 67 counties in Florida. Sebring is the county seat.

Contents

[edit] Evaluation of website

Main article: Evaluation of Florida county websites

[edit] The good

  • Budget is available.[1]
  • Board meeting schedule[2], agenda[3].
  • County commissioners are listed with contact information.[4]
  • Financial reports[5] are available.
  • Building permits and answers to building questions are available.[6]
  • Includes information on public records requests and who to contact.[7]
  • Local tax information is available.[8]

[edit] The bad

[edit] Open records lawsuit

On January 5, 2009, Preston Colby of the group Florida Public Safety filed a lawsuit against Highlands County for failure to produce public records, maintaining in his suit that the county's failure to produce the records he requested is a violation of the Florida Sunshine Law. In his suit, Colby names the county commissioners as a whole as well as Chairperson Barbara Stewart, County Administrator Michael J. Wright, Assistant County Administrator Ricky Helms, Records Management Officer Gloria Rybinski and Planning Director James Polatty as individual defendants.

There are three different counts in the lawsuit of either denying Colby's records requests or claiming exemption to notes and e-mails. In 2008, Colby received a $9,100 settlement from the county over another records request suit that the county decided to settle.[11]

In late January 2009, county attorney Ross Macbeth filed a response to the lawsuit in which the admission was made that certain public records were excluded from the file that was provided to Colby in response to Colby's request.[12]

[edit] Audits

For Highlands County, the clerk or comptroller performs the internal audits.[13]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ Budget
  2. ↑ Meeting Schedule
  3. ↑ Agenda
  4. ↑ Commissioners
  5. ↑ Financial reports
  6. ↑ Building Department
  7. ↑ Public Information Office
  8. ↑ Tax Collector
  9. ↑ Zoning
  10. ↑ Contracts
  11. ↑ Florida News Sun, "Colby sues county over records", January 7, 2009
  12. ↑ News Sun, "County admits to excluding public records", January 29, 2009
  13. ↑ PBC Clerk & Comptroller 5.30.07
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Counties in Florida
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