NOVEMBER 1996: The Duval County School Board agreed to pay The Florida Times-Union $25,000 for attorneys' fees in a court action filed by the paper seeking the release of transcripts of closed school board meetings. In 1995, Judge Virginia Q. Beverly, 4th Judicial Circuit, ruled that the meetings should have been open to the public and ordered the release of the transcripts. The ruling was upheld in 1996 by the 1st District Court of Appeal.

SEPTEMBER 1996: The 5th District Court of Appeal held that the town of Eatonville must pay attorneys' fees and court costs after violating the Public Records Law. The ruling reversed a lower court ruling that the town was not obligated to pay fees and costs because the town was too small and did not have the financial resources. Michael Barfield sued the town after being denied access to public records related to the opening of a topless club in the town. He sought $65,000 in attorneys' fees from the town.

SEPTEMBER 1996: The Palm Beach County School Board agreed to pay $39,000 in attorneys' fees and court costs to resolve a public records action filed by the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and The Palm Beach Post. The 4th District Court of Appeal had upheld a judgment against the Palm Beach County School Board awarding attorneys' fees and court costs incurred by The Palm Beach Post and the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel in a public records lawsuit. 15th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Moses Baker had ruled that the board violated the Public Records Law by refusing to release a survey that was commissioned by the board and conducted by a private research company. Baker awarded the papers $30,163 in attorneys' fees and court costs and ordered the research company to pay an additional $345.

AUGUST 1996: Judge R. Wallace Pack, 20th Judicial Circuit, ordered State Attorney Joseph P. D'Allessandro to pay $2,054 for attorneys' fees and court costs incurred by the Ft. Myers News-Press after the paper obtained a court ruling releasing portions of a surveillance audiotape recording of a Ft. Myers city council member. The judge had ruled that those parts of the tape that been had been released to the council member's attorney by D'Allessandro's office were no longer exempt criminal investigative information under Fla. Stat. § 119.07(3)(b).

JUNE 1996: To resolve a public records action filed by the St. Petersburg Times, Tampa General Hospital stipulated in court documents that it illegally withheld public records concerning the search for a new president of the public hospital. The hospital agreed to pay $12,100 to the newspaper for attorneys' fees and court costs.

FEBRUARY 1996: The 5th District Court of Appeal held that Dunnellon Mayor Larry Winkler violated the Open Meetings Law by not naming two attorneys who attended a private city council meeting. As a result, the city was ordered to pay nearly $17,000 for the attorneys' fees of Dunnellon police Sgt. Luis Aran, a non-media party who had requested the records.

SEPTEMBER 1995: The 4th District Court of Appeal upheld a lower court's order that ruled invalid a contract awarded by the Port Everglades Port Authority. In the case, the port authority's selection and negotiation committee had asked bidders on a port authority project to leave the meeting room voluntarily while their competitors presented proposals, violating the Open Meetings Law. In overturning the contract, the appeals court rejected the port authority's claim that the violation was technical and non-prejudicial to the bidding process.

JULY 1995: The 4th District Court of Appeal upheld a lower court's judgment that declared invalid a land-swap contract between Broward County and Nathan and Maria Conner because the contract had not been acted upon by an official county body at a public meeting.

MAY 1995: A 1st Judicial Circuit Court Judge ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department to pay more than $6,200 to the Northwest Florida Daily News for attorneys' fees and court costs incurred to obtain access to a convicted serial killer's confession.

APRIL 1995: WINK-TV, Fort Myers, won access to a hospital risk management indictment report which the Lee Memorial Hospital had refused to release on the grounds that it was exempt from disclosure. The trial court reserved judgment on the award of attorneys' fees and costs.

MARCH 1995: The Ocala Star-Banner was awarded $5,473 for attorneys' fees and court costs after gaining access to police records dealing with a 1989 criminal complaint filed against a private citizen who later became a city employee. The trial court had ruled that the records were exempt criminal investigation materials, but the 5th District Court of Appeal reversed.

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