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Politics

Crist pushes plain talk crusade

He won't suffer acronym s, stilted language or jargon gladly, he makes clear in a visit to one department.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published January 9, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist visited the DBPR Monday and learned a little about OPS and IVR.

Did that sentence make sense to you? That's why Crist wants government to stop using jargon, acronyms and confusing language.

He started making his point during his visit to DBPR - the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. In a meeting with new Secretary Holly Benson and some of her employees, he stressed the need to keep things clear.

"Government can be frustrating enough as it is, and so the opportunity to communicate in language that people can understand and appreciate I think is very important," Crist said. "When government officials speak to people in government jargon that is difficult to understand, it is not only not appreciated, I think it is unkind."

The call for plain language is part of an executive order Crist signed last week to promote government openness.

"More than any other agency, we think the plain language initiative begins here," Benson said, adding that the department mails out nearly 5.6-million letters and communicates with 1-million residents a year. "We want to be the model for good and plain language."

She showed Crist a form letter the department has been using.

"It's very bad. It's many three- and four-syllable words. So we worked to make sure it was more simple," Benson said, displaying a revised version.

After the meeting, Crist toured department offices and met a number of employees, some of whom illustrated the need for plain language.

"I do the OPS involvement," Myra Ditto told Crist.

"Educate me," Crist said. "What does OPS stand for?"

"Other personal services," Ditto said, before explaining that it's a classification of employment that generally covers part-time or temporary staff members.

At his next stop, he talked with Debbie Roberts about how the department's call center works. She told the governor that some people calling in may choose to serve themselves through the IVR.

"The what?" Crist asked.

"I'm sorry, the interactive voice response," Roberts said.

Speaking of IVRs, that brings up something else Crist wants to do away with: machines that answer phones.

"It's important that a human being answer the phone," Crist said.

He also suggested the department itself not use the acronym DBPR.

"It is Business and Professional Regulation. That's not hard to say, so we ought to just go ahead and say it and make it easier for folks," Crist said.

. fast fact

Simplifying speech

During his visit to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Gov. Charlie Crist was shown a letter the department may have sent out previously, and a version that would be easier to read.

From the old version:

"Complaints against unlicensed individuals and Community Association Managers are not confidential. However, if your complaint is not against an unlicensed individual or a community association manager, then this department is prohibited from discussing the details of your complaint with you any further. This is pursuant to Section 455.225(10), Florida Statutes, which states; 'The complaint and all information obtained pursuant to the investigation by the department are confidential and exempt from S. 119.07(1) until ten (10) days after probable cause has been found to exist by the Probable Cause Panel of the department, or until the regulated professional or subject of the investigation waives his or her privilege of confidentiality, whichever occurs first.' "

The new version:

"Per Section 455.225(10), Florida Statutes, unless this complaint regards an unlicensed individual or a community association manager, it is confidential and exempt from disclosure at this time; however, once the investigation is complete, your case will go before the regulatory board. If the regulatory board determines that probable cause exists, meaning they believe a violation has occurred, then 10 days later your case will become public record. Therefore, unless and until probable cause is found, the department cannot disclose your complaint or the investigation."

[Last modified January 9, 2007, 06:57:41]