/As health officials warned Floridians were at “grave risk,” the state dismantled the defenses it built against a coronavirus-like crisis.Fifteen years ago, Florida braced for a pandemic.Officials knew as early as 2005 that an outbreak could devastate the state and infect much of the population. They wrote reports predicting a crisis remarkably similar to the one playing out now: a virus that could infect more than a million Florida residents.And they responded in force, bolstering the state health department with resources and specialized workers to combat a potential crisis.But that...…/As health officials warned Floridians were at “grave risk,” the state dismantled the defenses it built against a coronavirus-like crisis.Fifteen years ago, Florida braced for a pandemic.Officials knew as early as 2005 that an outbreak could devastate the state and infect much of the population. They wrote reports predicting a crisis remarkably similar to the one playing out now: a virus that could infect more than a million Florida residents.And they responded in force, bolstering the state health department with resources and specialized workers to combat a potential crisis.But that...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…