Florida Division of Emergency Management Blocks Public Access to Incident Status Reports

The following information on the Florida EM Website is now password blocked.

Shelters Status Incident Status Road Closures Power Outages Tracker Online

DEM Skills Survey

I have been accessing this site daily since the beginning of the year and have gotten and passed along information on several major hazmat incidents. Free access to the above information from this site has now been blocked by requiring a password.

Registration is now limited to Florida EM Managers only. Local EM affiliates must receive access permission from their local county EOC.

Florida was one of only a handful of states that allowed public access to this sort of information. Or perhaps they were unaware of the fact that someone could access the situation reports and have now just plugged the hole.

In my view, this action by the State of Florida is utterly contrary to the public interest. I believe Emergency Management Agencies Nationwide should grant public access to their situation reports. What reason is there for hiding them?

What do you think?

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 20, 2000

Answers

probably the same reason as to why all the other states have been hiding them all along. they don't want them to show up on bulletin boards where you can see trends developing.

-- tt (cuddluppy@aol.com), January 20, 2000.

---a lot of states have "sunshine" laws that are there to protect public access to public documents, etc. Just because some bureaucrat tries to deny you access doesn't mean he's right, or what he's doing is legal. I suggest you contact a local "watchdog" group for the straight low down on these laws in your area. Get your ducks in a row, and go after them! Expose any and all coverups-for whatever reason-as soon as you spot them. Just the fact that it's now blocked is circumstantial evidence of a cover up, isn't it? These gov doods all seem to sorta forget that they work for you, not the other way around. They try this stuff with investigative reporters all the time. Put the screws to 'em, I say! Break the code of silence everywhere!

-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), January 20, 2000.

Oh, c'mon, do you also expect the Pentagon to give you and everyone else details of their response plan? If you do not trust emergency management planners, then do not call 'em when YOU need help! If you were playing poker w/ potential enemies/terrorists/etc., would you show your hand?

-- brad powers (powers@jackpine.com), January 20, 2000.

FL EOC

-- aw dragon (awdragon@yahoo.com), January 20, 2000.

Florida does have a Sunshine Law.

-- Normally (Oxsys@aol.com), January 20, 2000.

Brad,

Terrorists?

We're talking Dept. of Emer. Management, not the pentagon. That's emergencies like hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, that kind of stuff.

-- Peter Starr (startrak@northcoast.com), January 20, 2000.

Our taxes, our information, don't you think?

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), January 20, 2000.

The link below takes you directly to a story that is breaking as we speak. This is exactly the kind of story that the incident status link reports. Now access to that information is blocked. So the public (and the media) must wait for whatever information the state chooses to give them.

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 20, 2000.

Oops! Here's the Link:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002Mvq

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 20, 2000.

Is not this group supposed to take care of disaster type situations that involve the public? Wouldn't people need to know the plan for the plan to work? A fire drill is no good if no one knows where the exits are. What would be gained from blocking this information?

-- grannyclampett (don'thave@clue.com), January 20, 2000.

One way to get access to this site may be to file an appeal under the Florida Administrative Procedures Act which is in Chapter 120 of the Florida Statutes. The Florida Statutes are on the net and can be found by a search engine such as Alta Vista. This is a method for aggrieved parties to appeal a decision by a state agency and a party can request a hearing from a hearing examiner. Good Luck.

-- Tom (Tom@bbb.gom), January 20, 2000.

Try a FOIA request (Freedom of Information Act).

They can deny the request only for very specific grounds (for example, if the issue is related to pending litigation).

You need to be specific as to the documents requested, and may be required to pay for copy expenses.

I believe most, if not all, states have such a provision.

You simply send a letter to the agency, stating "I would like to request the following documents, pursuant to FOIA..." (include statutory citation).

-- Mabel (mabel_louise@yahoo.com), January 20, 2000.

Anyone recall that our own ICC was supposed to collect and share incident information with the public, per John Koskinen?

Well, since they are concerned that agencies won't share, access is "limited." Word is there are many incidents reported. How many?

Likely, we'll never know.

Your tax dollars at work.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), January 20, 2000.

---seems like the only people who can't get access to various gov docs are the taxpayers. russkys and chinese get them handed to them, along with high tech, etc, gratis, from gov and international companies, out for profits and campaign money. As to the hazmat place, can't think of a single reason to keep any of those reports secret. Other than to hide the true number and maybe causes of what is looking like a LARGE number of coincidental glitches during this current time frame. As to the fed gov, heck ya, 90% of what they call secret is bravo sierra on their part. Sure, we have legitimate security concerns, but I'm bettin most of it is to protect the guilty. I posted last week about all the info on the KLA commie/narco gang that just poofed on me when I was researching it, conveniently when they all of a sudden became our "allies" in the kings yugo war. Phooie on secrecy. I was serious tracking some chemtrail stuff on gov sites and they tried to nail me good. Most pings and cookies I ever encountered. On supposedly free to use sites, too. I watched as daily places I was going to became restricted. Double phooie on the goons and liars. Others have said it and it's true, follow the money, which fatcat needs to be protected, that's where most of this secrecy jazz comes from. triple phooie.

-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), January 21, 2000.

Glad to see you again Zoggy!

The rest of you -

Listen up when Zog speaketh!

He uttereth the truth.

-- Tim (Timgv@juno.com), January 21, 2000.

I agree with zog...triple phooie!!!

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 21, 2000.