TBT Publishes Public Records Dump

BRADENTON – After thoughtful consideration and requests from readers, The Bradenton Times has decided to publish a bulk of public record text messages obtained by the Florida Center of Government Accountability last year. The text records are from the devices of the county’s former administrator, Scott Hopes, and former deputy county administrator, Robert Reinshuttle.

 

In May 2022, FLCGA began an effort to obtain text message records from multiple officials within Manatee County’s administration through the submission of public record requests. The organization's efforts turned into an ongoing lawsuit against the county after it was revealed to FLCGA that the county had no means to capture and archive text messages on government-issued cell devices.

 

The following text messages were obtained as responsive to FLCGA’s public record request targeting Hopes and Reinshuttle’s text communications between the dates of January 2, 2022, and June 23, 2022.

 

Over the months, The Bradenton Times has worked to follow leads gained from some of the communications contained in the text records obtained by FLCGA. We have previously reported on some information pieced together with the assistance of the records and have, at times, referenced back to these text communications during our podcasts.

 

Taking into consideration the change in leadership at the county, and the departure of both Hopes and Reinshuttle, TBT believes these records may provide a wider public benefit being provided to the public as they were produced by the county. The texts can provide the public with an inside view of the inner workings of county administration under the former administrator, and publishing them may also lead to additional tips which our publication can follow up on.

 

The records are compiled into a PDF and require some attention from the viewer to details of the dates, times, and whether the text was "sent" or "received." The top of the PDF labels each column to make reading the text messages more clear.

 

Through our consideration of the publication of these records, TBT decided to remove the private phone numbers of individuals who were identified under the user’s call ID. Where the individual engaging in the communication is named, TBT has removed their phone numbers from their publication as a courtesy.

 

To access a PDF of text message records of former county administrator Scott Hopes, click the following blue highlighted link: FLCGAHopesTexts

 

To access a PDF of text message records of former deputy county administrator Robert Reinshuttle: FLCGAReinshuttleTexts

 

As always, TBT can be reached by email.

Editor: Mitch Maley: editor@thebradentontimes.com

Staff Reporter: Dawn Kitterman: dawn.kitterman@thebradentontimes.com