Barbara Petersen
Barbara Petersen, CEO of the Florida Center for Government Accountability (FCGA), began her Jan. 14 luncheon talk to Press Club members and guests at Moorings Park with a summary of a difficult recent event. She explained that the Minneapolis ICE situation was a prime example of false, overstated and conflicting information about the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. Several government and political leaders were quick to respond with their theories on the incident – well before real facts were available regarding what happened prior to the shooting and exactly how she died. According to Petersen, we do know that her last words to the Immigration agent: “It’s fine. I’m not mad at you.”
Petersen explained that what led to the incident included the federal government freezing $10 billion in childcare funding to Minnesota and the assignment of 2,000 ICE agents to Minnesota to investigate alleged fraud in daycare centers owned or managed by Somali immigrants. During the investigation, which involved a person pretending to be a father wanting to find daycare services for his child, misleading video was distributed to demonize the Somali residents. Out of the dozens of day care centers investigated, only one was found to be fraudulent. The facts – the truth – didn’t matter to those who continued to put the Somali population in a negative light and create a polarizing, destructive and tense environment in Minneapolis.
She said that one of the roles of FCGA is to provide ways to counter fake media to avoid tragic consequences – to avoid promoting scenarios that lack reality.
Petersen talked about how difficult it is to hold government officials accountable. As an example, Governor Ron DeSantis instituted an emergency order regarding undocumented immigrants in 2023 that he continues to extend for 60 days at a time. The emergency order essentially allows DeSantis to suspend state statues and rules. DeSantis is a Harvard Law grad and knows his team is in violation. When his administration fights a lawsuit, taxpayers are paying for his defense.
One example of lack of transparency and clean, open government is the Alcatraz detention center in south Florida, with state agencies deliberately failing to post contracts online where they should be available for viewing by the public. Those contracts have not been posted. A public records request filed last August by FCGA for Alcatraz records has not been addressed. State agencies have been directed not to share. Petersen described deliberate strategies by government officials to both confuse people and to delay release of information.
These efforts fly in the face of our constitutional rights to records, which were originally established by law in 1909. Instead, what we experience is obstruction and delay. One of the tools used by agencies is the fee – a reasonable fee – that media and others must pay to receive public records. Agencies will require that the records be reviewed before they are released, which takes more time and expense. There is now another layer of delay to negotiate on the cost of providing the information. Because media works in cycles, they reluctantly move on to the next story.
At a time when transparency, accountability, and public trust are under unprecedented strain, Petersen has emerged as one of Florida’s most respected and persistent champions of open government. She is a clear and much-needed advocate for journalism, public policy, and democratic values. Her agency – a staff of only 3 professionals – helps draft public records lawsuits. They were deeply involved in the release of COVID data, which had been available in real time online. Then it stopped as schools were reopening. The data was needed by schools to make decisions about safely reopening. It took two years to get the data, which was well past the timeframe needed to make decisions. Government-hired attorneys were making $850 an hour, with the $150,000 attorney fees paid by taxpayers. And, when the COVID data was finally released, agencies failed to redact personal information, including social security numbers and other HIPAA sensitive data. When informed of the issue, the Florida Department of Health requested that the data be returned. Media said no to the agency’s request, not being responsible for their incompetence.
Thwarting constitutional access is NOT a partisan issue, said Petersen. Democrats and Republicans need to come together to fight for access to information.
Under Petersen’s leadership, FCGA publishes The Florida Trident, which showcases FCGA’s independent and objective investigative reporting. She talked about Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, who has been the subject of a Grand Jury investigation. Why has there been such a timid approach to the Sheriff? Why has it been so difficult to gather details about a civil lawsuit and ethics complaint, with a compelling public interest in a corruption case involving taxpayer dollars and elected officials? Marceno has been described by many as mean, vindictive and powerful.
Petersen’s talk came at a critical time for journalism and civic life in Florida and our nation. From public records access to government secrecy, from accountability gaps to attacks on the press, the Press Club is grateful to Peterson for her dedication to addressing issues on behalf of journalists and media.
Note: The Florida Center for Government Accountability is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting taxpayers, strengthening public institutions, and ensuring government operates in the open. FCGA is widely known for its investigative research, data-driven reports, and legal advocacy to expose waste, fraud, corruption, and secrecy at all levels of Florida government.