Contact Manatee County state representatives

REP. WILL ROBINSON JR.

District office: 941-708-4968

Capitol office: 850-717-5071

Email: Will.Robinson@myfloridahouse.gov

REP. MIKE BELTRAN

District office: 813-653-7097

Capitol office: 850-717-5070

Email: Mike.Beltran@myfloridahouse.gov

REP. TOMMY GREGORY

District office: 941-893-5434

Capitol office: 850-717-5072

Email: Tommy.Gregory@myfloridahouse.gov

SEN. JIM BOYD

District office: 941-742-6445

Capitol office: 850-487-5020

Email: boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov

SEN. JOE GRUTERS

District office: 941-378-6309

Capitol office: 850-487-5022

Email: gruters.joe.web@flsenate.gov false in a defamation action.

HB 991 also provides that a public figure does not necessarily need to prove actual malice to win a defamation lawsuit, which has long been the standard under Times v. Sullivan. It also removes non-elected public employees from the definition of “public figure,” enabling them to more easily win defamation lawsuits.

The bill also extends the definition of “defamation” from traditional media to include any “utterance on the Internet.”

Of particular concern to Florida news organizations is how the bill, and its companion in the Senate, would change how reporters work with anonymous sources.

According to Florida law (Florida Statute 90.5015), a professional journalist is “a person regularly engaged in collecting, photographing, recording, writing, editing, reporting or publishing news, for gain or livelihood, who obtained the information sought while working as a salaried employee of, or independent contractor for, a newspaper, news journal, news agency, press association, wire service, radio or television station, network, or news magazine.

In Florida, professional journal- ists have “a qualified privilege not to be a witness concerning, and not to disclose the information, including the identity of any source, that the professional journalist has obtained while actively gathering news. This privilege applies only to information or eyewitness observations obtained within the normal scope of employment and does not apply to physical evidence, eyewitness observations, or visual or audio recording of crimes. A party seeking to overcome this privilege must make a clear and specific showing that:

• The information is relevant and material to unresolved issues that have been raised in the proceeding for which the information is sought;

• The information cannot be obtained from alternative sources; and

• A compelling interest exists for requiring disclosure of the information.”

Both the House and Senate bills remove the professional journalist’s privilege regarding anonymous sources in defamation lawsuits.

If passed, the bills would take effect on July 1.

JOHN CLEVIDENCE | SUBMITTED

Dead fish continue to wash up on AMI beaches due to red tide. These were spotted between 67th and 68th streets in Holmes Beach last week.

RED TIDE: Lingers longer

FROM PAGE 1 chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema or COPD, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Health officials recommend that people experiencing symptoms stay away from the water and go inside to an air-conditioned space with closed windows and a clean A/C filter. Wearing masks, especially during onshore winds, is also advised. Health officials warn against swimming near dead fish, and advise keeping pets away from dead fish and seafoam, which can contain high concentrations of red tide. Pets are not allowed on Anna Maria Island’s beaches but are allowed on the Palma Sola Causeway on Manatee Avenue.

Officials also warn that consuming shellfish exposed to red tide can cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. Shellfish is inspected for sale at retail stores and restaurants, unlike shellfish harvested by individuals.

For updated information on red tide, visit the Red Tide Respiratory Forecast at RedTideForecast.com, which tells beachgoers what red tide impacts are expected to be at individual beaches at different times of the day. The forecast is also available in Spanish at PronosticoMareaRoja.com.

Beachgoers also can get updates at visitbeaches. org, the Mote Marine Laboratory reporting system, and can call 866-300-9399 at any time from anywhere in Florida to hear a recording about red tide conditions throughout the state.