Numbers are Everywhere...Even Journalism

There's always been some form of currency that has made the world go 'round-gold, pesos and now, the dollar. Whether we like the idea or not, there is no way to get around the numbers game when it comes to understanding money and more specifically, budgets, says Preston Trigg. As the Director of Administration for the Hillsborough County Tax Collector County Center, Trigg's job involves more than meets the eye.

Understanding the basics of government budgets pertaining to revenue and expenses is important as journalists if you want to understand what your looking at when you look at a budget. Trigg broke it down to the penny for us:

Because government budgets in Florida are public, the access is not the issue. Because most corruption involves money, Trigg explains, the issue lies in understanding the numbers so that you may break it down for those who need to know-the public.

Trigg pointed out a few basics to scoop out of the hefty book of budgets that can lead us in the direction of clarity.

-Always look for the revenue and expenses (and sometimes the debt)
-Look for major increases in any area
-ALWAYS ask if you don't understand
-Remember the 3 types of expenses
-Personal
-Capital
-Operating

What I personally found to be interesting was understanding the concept of operating expenses. As a full-time college student also working to support myself, understanding where my money goes when I pay for utilities struck a nerve. Many people seldom think about what there utility payments are used for but knowing where your money goes as opposed to "I just have to pay the water bill" is important. These decisions have impacts on the way we live and the improvements we see in our communities.

Trigg also brought back memories of microeconomics with the mention of milage, which is a property tax based on the value of your home as set by the county tax appraiser. I'm glad he did because it unveiled an understanding of how property taxes are determined and the system used to keep a consistent flow and fairness.

Trigg was informative and excited about enlightening us to government budgets. Numbers are everywhere whether we like it or not. So, with a better understanding of budget, I'm almost ready to try my hand at Algebra...almost.

A Dark Day with the Medical Examiner

So maybe my expectations of seeing this were a little over the top, I admit, but Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Vernard Adams' presence still created the same dark feeling that I was afraid would bring up my lunch.

Since all I knew was the basics-medical examiners do autopsies-this was a great opportunity to get into the dirt with what the job really entails. Aside from determining the cause of death whenever someone dies, Dr. Vern is also responsible for conducting meetings with families and attorneys to discuss documents like the autopsy report and the cause of death, which is not public information. He also keeps track of all correspondents from attorneys, which are all public.

Something interesting that Dr. Vern mentioned was the importance of understanding that there are two different kinds of Death Certificates:

The first contains the circumstance of a death and the details of whether the death was accidental, natural, or violent for example.

The second kind of death certificate doesn't have these details but can still be used to prove death for purposes such as closing a bank account.

He is also able to do HIV testing without asking for permission and sends out investigators for criminal investigation scenes where a death has occurred. None of these records are public either.

The medical examiner is also responsible for all photos and video tapes kept on file for the deceased and can be charged with a felony if any of these documents are made public, due to the Earnhardt Act. Dr. Vern was very informative when it came to sharing the ins and outs of the job but it was time for the tour...

After visiting the extraction lab where specimens are mixed and tested for substances such as poison, drugs, alcohol or anything out of the ordinary, it was off to the autopsy lab.

Dr. Vern may have made the mistake of letting us in too soon but lucky for us, we got a quick glimpse of an autopsy in progress. Nothing as gruesome as my imagination may have planned for, but it was something I had never seen.

Overall, great experience with a professional who loves his job, making Dr. Vern the darkest doctor I've ever met.

County Commissioners get Ripped a New One

At last Wednesday's County Commissioner meeting, Mark Sharpe, commissioner over District 7, began with "no question shall be directed personally at any commissioner" but was interrupted by a old lady in the back who yelled "FAT CHANCE!" the room wasn't full of people but was at capacity when it came to personality and opinion.

Once the moving of the colors was complete and the addendum was summarized, citizens began to loosen up. I perked up as I realized where this meeting was going.

Some of the issues to be discussed included Chinese Drywall, performance audits and, of course, the "emailgate" and the suspicious pay increases to deputies given by County Administrator Pat Bean, who sat unmoved as negative comments were thrown her way.

Citizens like Ms. Clouston named each employee she believed needed to be fired, like County Attorney Renee Lee, who received a 1% pay increase from Bean in 2007. Others were more concerned about the environment, like the bearded scientist who addressed the commissioners as morans and idiots.

While some spoke intelligently, like a young attorney who called Al Higginbotham on his mistakes of not understanding certain laws he claims to be for, some spoke and served as nothing but mere entertainment.

Like Mr. Robinson, who stepped up to the podium and immediately reminded me of Al Sharp. He through quotes at the county commissioners like "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water" and "what you see is what you get" before yelling out "freedom is NOT free" in closing. He didn't outdo the little old lady from the back who stepped up and ripped Pat Bean a new one but two hours later the same issue existed without any realistic suggestions of solution.

Bean, who has admitted to getting someone to download Auditor Jim Barnes' emails and has been accused of presenting a less than productive vision for her last two years in office, would cost county commissioners over $400,000 to fire.

This is where the heat came from Wednesday morning-out of frustration on a matter than can't be solved at the drop of the dime without a big price tag.

I definitely found this public meeting informative and interesting on many levels. Maybe the next county commissioner meeting they will actually discuss Chinese Drywall.

Order in the Court!

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is never a quiet place. I saw this first hand on Tuesday and came to understand why after our tour with Director of Juvenile Court Operations, Dana Caranante. While this tour may have been more informative than thrilling, we did have the opportunity before hand to sit down with Pat Frank, the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for the Tampa Court.

As an elected official, Frank's daily duties included everything from keeping records for the court-such as leans and mortgages-to taking care of finances and making sure everything is properly invested. As of now, her office has hold of 1.8 billion dollars.

Talk about responsibility.

With a very transparent system that keeps all minutes and meetings available for review online and open for viewing on television, there are still a few unraveling hems to be hemmed, atleast in the eyes of Frank herself.

With the turn of events our economy has seen in the past year, foreclosures are up and the legislature seems to be holding back when it comes to, but of course, spurting out additional money for additional help. The need for staff goes up as the paperwork and duties required of employees goes up as well. This is a burden that is yet to be fixed.

On a brighter note, Caranante took us on a tour of what is necessary to really utilize the Court to fullest of it's ability. Everything from where the jury meet to where probate records can be found. Downstairs is where all records pertaining to family law can be accessed. This would include divorce settlements, child support and so on. One thing it would not include are child abuse cases. These are confidential unless requested by someone involved in the case.

Civil Suits can also be found downstairs. This is where any settlement involving less than 15,000 dollars involving landlords and tenants can be found. Circuit Civil is the office where all public records are kept, it's just important to know the case file you are requesting to make the process run smoother.

Everything has it's place in the Clerk of the Court's office, which makes it important to understand what you may be looking for and what those public records can do for you. Now with a better understanding of what is where and how the system works, I can't say I'll be running to the courthouse every chance I get, but I can say I will have a much smoother time one I do end up there digging for the dirt.

Tenacious Reporting 101

exposing the truth and breaking it down for the public is an important responsibility that lies on the back of the media. Steve Andrews is one of the many tenacious reporters who do just this. Unlike some in the business, Andrews gets his answers without screaming, without pestering and without anger.

Then how? Well, with kindness.

One of the points made by Andrews that I found to be important for the world of reporting we live in today is the importance of being respectable. No matter how much a subject may need to be pushed, like Andrews said, the unwillingness of a wrong-doer to cooperate will expose them to the audience without the extra push of any journalist.

The perfect example of this was demonstrated in his investigation of Workforce, a public organization spending taxpayer's dollars on The Cheesecake Factory and other unnecessary food purchases. Talk about gluttony at it's best.

Simply showing officials like Rhonda Storms receipts was enough to get her to understand the seriousness of the problem, another form of "let your interviewee do the talking." Once Andrews showed her the papers, she took it from there with explaining how she felt. There are so many simple things a reporter can easily make habit to be the best at their job. Kindness and silence being two of them.

A third? Preparation. "When you approach someone, have questions prepared, atleast 3." said Andrews. The worst thing you could do is look unprepared because you fail to do your research before an interview. It's an easy step that can avoid a huge embarrassment. When Andrews approached the Workforce president, not only was she avoiding the well-prepared questions but she let the audience see her break. The saying "kill 'em with kindness" never goes out of style.

I really took a lot from this meeting with Andrews because not only did he put everything so simply, but he spoke common sense. Being kind, a good listener and prepared are skills we should carry into our everyday lives, not just journalism. It is good to know there is still a job out there that will only allow you to be good at what you do with these three attributes. This makes it easy to understand why ethics plays a big role in our line of profession-because no one likes a mean, unprepared-talker.