Bianchi article on FL universities attempts at non-compliance with public record requests - CFB

[Cat941]

Can move this if not appropriate, but thought it was pertinent to this page when talking about USF athletic department finances.

https://statesville.com/sports/college/mike-bianchi-florida-florida-state-athletic-departments-need-to-obey-freaking-law/article_57cdcb81-dcbd-5365-b9cc-4dc8540ed536.html

 

It’s a travesty that the athletic departments at Florida State, Florida and UCF have somehow, someway been allowed to establish themselves as separate non-profit direct-support organizations (DSO), which effectively shields them from the Sunshine Law.

Public money is pouring into these athletic departments in the form of student fees, fan and booster donations and, yes, UCF just received nearly $90 million in funding from the Orange County Tourist Development Tax. If that doesn’t make UCF’s athletic department a public entity, then I don’t know what does.

Sadly, our public universities should be a beacon of enlightenment and illumination but instead have allowed their football programs to drag them into the darkness of secrecy and suspicion.

[Triple B]

Does our Athletic Department, and others in the state, fall under that same umbrella as a DSO?

[Jim Johnson]

46 minutes ago, Triple B said:

Does our Athletic Department, and others in the state, fall under that same umbrella as a DSO?

Yes.  USF recently voted to make this change and join the others.

[Cat941]

2 minutes ago, Jim Johnson said:

Yes.  USF recently voted to make this change and join the others.

I was paging you to respond (in my mind).  Thanks for confirming  

[olafberserker]

Another reason for athletics to branch off and be their own entity with NO public funding provided

[SilverBull]

Yeah, I never got how the university DSO is considered a state agency for sovereign immunity purposes but not for public records purposes.