The most important reason Florida residents land in the headlines has to do with the state’s Sunshine Law, which makes official records related to state governing agencies accessible to the public. Florida’s position is that the government is a public business, and its leaders have stuck to that belief with this law.
Established in 1995, the Sunshine Law ensures everyday citizens can easily access public records. This includes any document related to official government agency business, like photos, emails, maps —and of course, arrest reports and mugshots. Of course, some information is redacted or kept private, like victims’ names and residential addresses.
In Florida, access to these documents and photos is fast — arrest reports are available almost immediately after they are filed, local station WCTV reported in 2019. In other states, reporters often file a request for an arrest record and wait days for its arrival. In Florida, this process is streamlined — journalists have access to daily booking records, so they can get started building their stories almost immediately.
This type of access over the years has also made journalists aware that there’s a wealth of potential crime stories coming out of Florida, so they know to pay attention to these logs, as the Miami New Times noted in 2015. After all, there could always be an arrest for something so unusual it’s certain to be of the public interest — or go viral online.
