DEP - Integrity, First and Foremost
Open Government was one of the several priorities named by Governor Charlie Crist and Lt.
Governor Jeff Kottkamp when they were elected to serve the people of Florida.
In each of the agencies under the purview of Governor Crist, its Office of Citizen Services,
or its equivalent, received the training necessary to perform the guidelines of Open Government
and ensure responsible compliance is used when handling records and requests from the media and
public in general.
Within DEP, that responsibility falls into the hands of Ombudsman Bonnie Hazleton and the Office
of the Ombudsman and Public Service staff - John Peterson and Joni Scott. Theirs is the voice
callers hear when they phone the Department to voice concerns, ask questions or make suggestions.
They are the ones who reply to the thousands of letters, emails and phone calls the Department
receives every year from the public. And they are the ones who are responsible for ensuring that
the information relayed to the public is reliable, that the Department’s actions are accountable
and that Floridians are always served with integrity.
The Office serves as the liaison with DEP’s numerous programs which are charged with overseeing
the protection, restoration and conservation of the state’s many natural resources, along with
keeping a watchful eye over the welfare of Florida’s millions of residents, and it is a task the
team embraces wholeheartedly. They provide the public access to whatever documents are needed,
whether written, audio, video, photographs or films, unless covered under statutory exemptions.
On any given day, Office staff knowledgeably handles a broad and diverse scope of topics ranging
from reports of improper dumping, concerns regarding red tide, requests from students for
environmental materials, inquiries about public lands, or where to go for specific services
or public meetings. It is also their function to prepare responses for the Governor’s Office
on environmental issues.
DEP’s Office of the Ombudsman and Public Service uses the guidelines and standards of Open Government
to ensure that Florida’s citizens have accurate and forthright access to government information, and
they employ the tools necessary to make that happen on a daily basis.
To learn more about Open Government or the Office of the Ombudsman and Public Services visit
the DEP website at www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/ps.
