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Pinellas licensing board says it's transcribing hearings and wants to know: Who called 911?

 
Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board executive director Rodney Fischer said his agency is working to comply with public records laws by transcribing old recordings of hearings held by the board. But he also wants to know who call 911 on Wednesday about activities in his office. [SCOTT KEELER   |   Times]
Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board executive director Rodney Fischer said his agency is working to comply with public records laws by transcribing old recordings of hearings held by the board. But he also wants to know who call 911 on Wednesday about activities in his office. [SCOTT KEELER | Times]
Published Jan. 29, 2017

The executive director of the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board says he is working to comply with public records laws by transcribing old recordings of hearings held by his agency.

SPECIAL REPORT: Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board plays fast and loose with disciplinary process

Those probable cause hearings, where a small panel determined whether contractors committed infractions, was one of the issues raised in a Tampa Bay Times investigation into the agency's workings. While the hearings were recorded, there were no written minutes kept, and thus no record of how the panels voted. Failing to keep written minutes of public meetings is a violation of Florida's public records law.

The Times report also raised questions about how the agency handles conflicts of interest and whether the board treats consumers and contractors fairly. The agency is the only independent licensing board in the state that operates without government oversight.

The Pinellas County Commission has called for the agency to be brought under its control. The licensing board is also being examined by county attorneys and legislators are working on a plan to reform or abolish the agency.

Fischer has called the Times' findings "false and misleading allegations." Pinellas County Commission chair Janet Long responded that commissioners "strongly encourage the PCCLB to address the issues reported in the Tampa Bay Times ..."

Fischer said he is also investigating a call made to 911 c about his office on Wednesday.

The Largo Police Department received a tip that a former employee was in the office "altering records at her son's desk." The caller hung up, and police did not pursue the matter because they believed it was a civil issue.

In a letter to the Pinellas County Commission on Friday, Fischer said a retired agency employee, who used to work as a stenographer for the county, volunteered to come in and transcribe the probable cause hearings "to be in full compliance with the law as recently advised by the Pinellas County Attorney's Office."

"This office is currently investigating this matter and has made a public records request to both Pinellas County 911 and the Largo Police Department to obtain all records pertaining to this matter," Fischer wrote.

First Amendment Foundation President Barbara Petersen, an expert on the state's public records law, said it was troubling that Fischer was trying to find out who may be tipping off authorities to possible issues within his agency while it faces scrutiny for its conduct.

"If it was an employee who made the call they could seek whistleblower protection," Petersen said.

Contact Mark Puente at mpuente@tampabay.com or (727) 892-2996. Follow @MarkPuente