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Governor Charlie Crist
Photo: Rick Flagg
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by Rick Flagg
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. -- A showdown is looming in Tallahassee over the public's right to hear tape recordings of emergency calls made to 911 operators in Florida.
The House Governmental Affairs Policy Committee takes up a bill by Rep. Rob Schenk (R-Spring Hill) that says 911 calls are exempt from the public records law.
The bill reads, in part, "To have the recordings made publicly available is an invasion of privacy that could result in trauma, sorrow, humiliation, or emotional injury to the person reporting the emergency or requiring emergency services, or to the immediate families of those persons."
Opponents said the real force behind this bill is House Speaker Larry Cretul (R-Ocala). One of his friends at the Florida Farm Bureau suffered a family tragedy where the 911 call ended up on the evening news.
But the idea of imposing a veil of secrecy on emergency calls doesn't sit well with the governor.
"I'm an open and transparent kind of guy. I would rather them be available," Gov. Charlie Crist. "You know, I can understand that there may be exceptions and issues of privacy, but I would have to see the final language of the legislation before making a determination."
Emergency calls are just the beginning. Lawmakers will also be considering a bill to prohibit the release of videotape evidence in criminal investigations.
That would prevent the public from seeing tapes from SeaWorld Orlando that show a killer whale attacking its trainer last month.
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Listen to: Charlie Crist
