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How does free help me? Funny things like throwing shade on Florida

Florida is called the sunshine state for more than just the weather. It has one of the broadest public record laws in the nation, with origins dating back to 1909. On the bright side, this wide interpretation of public records provides transparency in state public agencies.

It could also be considered a factor in the creation of the internet meme “Florida Man.” This meme is based on strange news stories or crimes that take place in our home state and is based on news headlines like these:

  • Florida man run over by van after dog pushes accelerator.
  • Florida man arrested for allegedly fixing cars with Play Doh.
  • Florida man builds mini car for his pet parrot.

It has been proposed that by making arrest records freely available, unusual crimes are easier to uncover.

Want to see another side of Florida? Visit STARS (Showcase of Text, Archives, Research & Scholarship), UCF’s Open Access institutional repository, which allows UCF faculty and students to make their work available to anyone. Here are some projects highlighting Florida in STARS:

Tomorrow we will focus on the impact of making the very fabric of our DNA available.


For More Information:

To learn more about Open Access, visit https://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/scholarly-communication/open-access/

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