Pubdate: Sun, 15 Feb 2009 Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL) Page: BN1 Contact: http://www.heraldtribune.com/section/opinion04 Copyright: 2009 Sarasota Herald-Tribune Website: http://www.heraldtribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/398 Author: Eric Ernst THAT GUY FILING SUIT ISN'T REALLY THE STORY In the lawsuit over whether Venice officials violated Florida's open government laws, Anthony Lorenzo is not the story. He's suing, yes. And the defendants -- current and former members of City Council and its advisory boards -- may wish they could deflect attention to him. But other than spreading the news that Lorenzo has been imprisoned for possession and sale of cocaine, his detractors really do not have much. One of the recurring rumors around town is that Lorenzo is out for money. Because money is a popular motivator and the case could end up generating $1 million or more in attorneys' fees and costs, that's plausible. But according to a Jan. 15 deposition, Lorenzo will get nothing from the case, win or lose. He has created a nonprofit corporation that is the second lawsuit plaintiff. The corporation, with Lorenzo as sole officer, also will collect nothing, win or lose. Another rumor puts Lorenzo in a conspiracy to discredit council members elected in 2007 on a slow-growth platform. Again, under questioning by City Attorney Robert Anderson, Lorenzo said he learned of the potential Sunshine Law violations through Herald-Tribune articles. And other than John Patten, who runs the Web site Veniceflorida.com, Lorenzo has really not communicated with anyone immersed in any aspect of city politics, he said under oath. The case certainly falls within Lorenzo's sphere of interests. He's attended ACLU meetings. He has worked for FairVote. He was a volunteer coordinator for the Florida Cannabis Action Network, which supports the legalization of marijuana. Even now he is involved in civil cases concerning the distribution of literature on the sidewalks in front of two businesses. The life of Michael Barfield is also an intriguing read, and the subject of at least one internal defense team memo. Barfield, a legal consultant hired by Lorenzo's attorney, Andrea Mogensen, has a reputation as an expert in open records law. He has also served time for a number of convictions, including providing false information to the FBI, giving false testimony to a federal grand jury and fabricating documents. None of that matters. Defense attorney Dale Scott summed it up in an e-mail Monday to defendant Mayor Ed Martin. "As far as litigation strategy, 'following the money' may yield interesting results, but really won't help much in the end," Scott wrote. "A Sunshine Law violation is a Sunshine Law violation, whether alleged by a convicted felon or a nursery school teacher." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake