Florida data a click away
By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published November 22, 2007
State government is so large and complicated that it often isn't easy to determine how well it is serving Floridians. Now Gov. Charlie Crist has taken another important step to make government more transparent by creating a one-stop Web site that offers all sorts of measurements of the state's performance.
The new site, www.FloridaPerforms.com, offers a wealth of clear information in a half-dozen areas, ranging from public education and the economy to crime and transportation. There also is a scorecard that offers a general idea about whether conditions are improving, remaining the same or worsening. While politicians at all levels of government often talk about accountability and measuring performance, this is one of the more user-friendly efforts to translate rhetoric into reality.
With a few clicks around the Web site, Floridians can learn that customers are waiting less time to receive driver licenses, the overall crime rate is at a 36-year low even though the murder rate has risen, and home sales dropped about 25 percent last year. The number of children in foster care went down, and the number of tourists is up. The high school dropout rate is about the same. For anyone looking for basic information, this is a good place to start.
The Web site has its limitations. It notes that the number of Floridians without health insurance is rising and that the state ranks near the bottom nationally in the percentage of residents who have health coverage. But the site fails to put many measures into a national perspective, and some other measurements also lack context. The section on taxes, for example, leaves the impression that tax cuts are the holy grail and offers no clue about how inadequate Florida's tax system is for meeting the state's many pressing needs. These sorts of shortcomings can be addressed as information is added over time and the Web site becomes more sophisticated.
Of course, there is no substitute for independent evaluations of government that thoughtfully pinpoint problems and propose solutions. The LeRoy Collins Institute, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Florida TaxWatch are among those who have reliably produced important, sophisticated reports along those lines. But government also has a responsibility to provide detailed, unbiased information about its performance that is understandable and accessible. Crist has made openness and accountability a priority in his first year, and www.FloridaPerforms.com is another example of that important commitment.