/An analysis conducted for the Times shows a spike in unexpected deaths since late March. Experts say they relate to the pandemic directly and indirectly.In places with large coronavirus outbreaks, researchers have recently found thousands of unexpected deaths beyond those captured in the official tally of COVID-19 fatalities.But what about Florida?To answer that question, the Tampa Bay Times teamed up with a health researcher from the University of South Florida to analyze all deaths in the state, not just those certified as COVID-19.They found that during the 5-week period ending April...…/An analysis conducted for the Times shows a spike in unexpected deaths since late March. Experts say they relate to the pandemic directly and indirectly.In places with large coronavirus outbreaks, researchers have recently found thousands of unexpected deaths beyond those captured in the official tally of COVID-19 fatalities.But what about Florida?To answer that question, the Tampa Bay Times teamed up with a health researcher from the University of South Florida to analyze all deaths in the state, not just those certified as COVID-19.They found that during the 5-week period ending April...WW…

/A Tampa Bay Times data analysis and interviews with 15 experts help answer the question: Why not Florida?To a nation in the grips of coronavirus panic, Florida in mid-March looked destined to be the next hot zone.Spring breakers partying carefree on beaches. Senior citizens fraternizing in retirement communities. International travelers leaving germs around Disney World.Medical professionals saw a trajectory of cases that tracked alarmingly close to the early days of the outbreak in New York. They implored Gov. Ron DeSantis to swiftly shut down the state. He waited two weeks.After the...…/A Tampa Bay Times data analysis and interviews with 15 experts help answer the question: Why not Florida?To a nation in the grips of coronavirus panic, Florida in mid-March looked destined to be the next hot zone.Spring breakers partying carefree on beaches. Senior citizens fraternizing in retirement communities. International travelers leaving germs around Disney World.Medical professionals saw a trajectory of cases that tracked alarmingly close to the early days of the outbreak in New York. They implored Gov. Ron DeSantis to swiftly shut down the state. He waited two weeks.After the...WW…

/When the medical examiners’ list was available, it showed more deaths than the state’s count.State officials have stopped releasing the list of coronavirus deaths being compiled by Florida’s medical examiners, which has at times shown a higher death toll than the state’s published count.The list had previously been released in real time by the state Medical Examiners Commission. But earlier this month, after the Tampa Bay Times reported that the medical examiners’ death count was 10 percent higher than the figure released by the Florida Department of Health, state officials said the list...…/When the medical examiners’ list was available, it showed more deaths than the state’s count.State officials have stopped releasing the list of coronavirus deaths being compiled by Florida’s medical examiners, which has at times shown a higher death toll than the state’s published count.The list had previously been released in real time by the state Medical Examiners Commission. But earlier this month, after the Tampa Bay Times reported that the medical examiners’ death count was 10 percent higher than the figure released by the Florida Department of Health, state officials said the list...WW…

/“It boggles my mind," said the head of Florida’s Medical Examiners Commission. After weeks of withholding it from public disclosure, state officials on Wednesday released the list of coronavirus deaths being compiled by Florida’s medical examiners.But the document was redacted to remove the probable cause of death and the description of each case.The omissions make the list meaningless, said Dr. Stephen Nelson, the chairman of the state Medical Examiners Commission.“You have to take the word from the government that these are deaths related to COVID-19,” said Nelson, who is also the chief...…/“It boggles my mind," said the head of Florida’s Medical Examiners Commission. After weeks of withholding it from public disclosure, state officials on Wednesday released the list of coronavirus deaths being compiled by Florida’s medical examiners.But the document was redacted to remove the probable cause of death and the description of each case.The omissions make the list meaningless, said Dr. Stephen Nelson, the chairman of the state Medical Examiners Commission.“You have to take the word from the government that these are deaths related to COVID-19,” said Nelson, who is also the chief...WW…

/The school district shares student data with the Sheriff’s Office, which uses it to identify potential future criminals.Denouncing the program as promoting “racial bias” and further feeding the “school-to-prison pipeline,” a U.S. congressman Tuesday called for a federal investigation into the Pasco school district’s practice of sharing student data with law enforcement.“This use of student records goes against the letter and the spirit of (the federal student privacy law) and risks subjecting students, especially Black and Latino students, to excessive law enforcement interactions and...…/The school district shares student data with the Sheriff’s Office, which uses it to identify potential future criminals.Denouncing the program as promoting “racial bias” and further feeding the “school-to-prison pipeline,” a U.S. congressman Tuesday called for a federal investigation into the Pasco school district’s practice of sharing student data with law enforcement.“This use of student records goes against the letter and the spirit of (the federal student privacy law) and risks subjecting students, especially Black and Latino students, to excessive law enforcement interactions and...WW…

asco Sheriff Chris Nocco was once asked under oath how he had landed two high-level posts in state government.“It was the connections that I had made,” he said bluntly.“I mean, you didn't have to like go and interview along with a hundred other people to get the job or anything?” an attorney pressed.“No, ma’am,” he said.Later that month, he told a reporter: “I’m very blessed to have friends that are in high offices.”Today, Nocco himself is in a high place. A force in local GOP politics, he has twice been elected sheriff without opposition — something that hadn’t happened in Pasco County...…asco Sheriff Chris Nocco was once asked under oath how he had landed two high-level posts in state government.“It was the connections that I had made,” he said bluntly.“I mean, you didn't have to like go and interview along with a hundred other people to get the job or anything?” an attorney pressed.“No, ma’am,” he said.Later that month, he told a reporter: “I’m very blessed to have friends that are in high offices.”Today, Nocco himself is in a high place. A force in local GOP politics, he has twice been elected sheriff without opposition — something that hadn’t happened in Pasco County...WW…

/The organizations are considering legal action or advocacy campaigns in response to a Tampa Bay Times investigation.Civil liberties groups are vowing to take action after a Tampa Bay Times investigation revealed organized harassment of Pasco County residents and data-driven profiling of Pasco’s schoolchildren by the Sheriff’s Office.One public interest law firm has sent mailers, looking for plaintiffs for a potential lawsuit against the policing agency. Several prominent civil rights groups are weighing legal action and public advocacy campaigns.The moves will bring a new level of scrutiny...…/The organizations are considering legal action or advocacy campaigns in response to a Tampa Bay Times investigation.Civil liberties groups are vowing to take action after a Tampa Bay Times investigation revealed organized harassment of Pasco County residents and data-driven profiling of Pasco’s schoolchildren by the Sheriff’s Office.One public interest law firm has sent mailers, looking for plaintiffs for a potential lawsuit against the policing agency. Several prominent civil rights groups are weighing legal action and public advocacy campaigns.The moves will bring a new level of scrutiny...WW…

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office keeps a secret list of kids it thinks could “fall into a life of crime” based on factors like whether they’ve been abused or gotten a D or an F in school, according to the agency's internal intelligence manual.The Sheriff’s Office assembles the list by combining the rosters for most middle and high schools in the county with records so sensitive, they’re protected by state and federal law.School district data shows which children are struggling academically, miss too many classes or are sent to the office for discipline. Records from the state Department of...…The Pasco Sheriff’s Office keeps a secret list of kids it thinks could “fall into a life of crime” based on factors like whether they’ve been abused or gotten a D or an F in school, according to the agency's internal intelligence manual.The Sheriff’s Office assembles the list by combining the rosters for most middle and high schools in the county with records so sensitive, they’re protected by state and federal law.School district data shows which children are struggling academically, miss too many classes or are sent to the office for discipline. Records from the state Department of...WW…

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco took office in 2011 with a bold plan: to create a cutting-edge intelligence program that could stop crime before it happened.What he actually built was a system to continuously monitor and harass Pasco County residents, a Tampa Bay Times investigation has found.First the Sheriff’s Office generates lists of people it considers likely to break the law, based on arrest histories, unspecified intelligence and arbitrary decisions by police analysts.Then it sends deputies to find and interrogate anyone whose name appears, often without probable cause, a search...…Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco took office in 2011 with a bold plan: to create a cutting-edge intelligence program that could stop crime before it happened.What he actually built was a system to continuously monitor and harass Pasco County residents, a Tampa Bay Times investigation has found.First the Sheriff’s Office generates lists of people it considers likely to break the law, based on arrest histories, unspecified intelligence and arbitrary decisions by police analysts.Then it sends deputies to find and interrogate anyone whose name appears, often without probable cause, a search...WW…