Politics

Crist: agencies to be courteous to citizens

By Times Wires
Published November 16, 2007

TALLAHASSEE

State agencies must treat citizens with courtesy, respect and professionalism when they ask for public records, according to an Open Bill of Rights signed Thursday by Gov. Charlie Crist. It also requires officials to respond promptly, bars them from charging more than the law allows for copies and prohibits them from demanding that requests be put in writing unless specifically required by law. Crist also announced that agencies under his control will provide citizens with improved Internet access to key information. The executive order applies only to state agencies.

PALM BEACH

32 Cubans make it safely to shore

Thirty-two Cuban migrants were held Thursday by federal authorities after swimming ashore in Palm Beach, police said. Another migrant was found dead. The Cubans' boat apparently capsized offshore about 2 a.m. Under the so-called wet-foot-dry-foot policy, Cubans intercepted at sea are generally sent back, and those who reach U.S. soil are allowed to stay.

DELAND

Maggots found in resident's eye

An elderly nursing home resident developed maggots in his eye, sparking an investigation by state and local authorities. The Florida Attorney General's Office and DeLand police are trying to learn what happened to the man at University Center West nursing home, DeLand Deputy Chief Randel Henderson told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. According police, the unidentified man had maggots in one eye, an infected breathing tube, a partly inserted catheter and bedsores on his left elbow when taken to the hospital for respiratory problems Nov. 7. University Center West has been on a state watch list since May 14, 2005.

[Last modified November 16, 2007, 06:52:41]