Associated Press Features Trouble With Public Records at the Lake Shore Hospital Authority
Posted March 16, 2015 09:45 am
FLORIDA – March 15 through March 21 is the 10th anniversary of Sunshine Week. Sunshine Week is an annual national celebration of access to public information and what it means to your community and you.
The Associated Press was looking for stories in Florida which demonstrated the importance of public information and the issues that one can have accessing public information.
Reporter Glenn Marston was looking for a good story. He came across the issues that folks have obtaining public records from Florida's Lake Shore Hospital Authority, located in Columbia County.
The Lake Shore Hospital Authority's Manager, Jackson P. "Jack" Berry is a legend in North Central Florida.
Mr. Berry is a former private detective and Repo Man.
Florida's First Amendment Foundation president, Barbara Peterson, referred Mr. Marston to Barbara Lemley and the issues she was having with obtaining a background report on Mr. Berry, which was required during his hiring process and which was on file at the Authority.
The Columbia County Observer ran an article about Ms. Lemley's problems in July 2014: First Amendment Foundation Finds Berry's Withholding of His Credit Report, Wrong
The Associate Press is running Ms. Lemley's story nationwide under the headline: North Florida Woman Stymied on Attempt to Get Full Report