User Experience Task Force
Section 3.0 - Linking financial and operational data
Directive
The User Experience Task Force (UETF) Work Plan includes the directive to provide a recommendation of opportunities
and determination of relevancy of providing links to existing data found in other in-scope websites in order to
accomplish the objectives of the task force. This task was assigned to Vice-Chair Charles Ghini.
Approach
Step 1 - In order to provide the UETF with the most information available for the in-scope websites, Vice-Chair Ghini and
staff sent a list of questions to the subject matter expert (SME) and technical manager for each in-scope website and
invited them to present the response at a meeting of the UETF. On December 6, 2013, the UETF heard these
presentations and also reviewed the responses from the SMEs who were not in attendance. All of the responses are
included in Appendix A.
Step 2 – The Vice-Chair and staff reviewed the inventory of 11 in-scope websites for duplication of expenditure, invoice
and contract data. The staff also evaluated the usability of each website by evaluating the websites against the criteria
listed on the spreadsheet in Appendix B.
Step 3 – “State operational and fiscal information,” as defined by the UETF, is data that is comprised of the state
budget as defined in the annual General Appropriations Act and expenditure information as managed in the state
accounting system. As a result of the presentations and review of questionnaire responses, Vice Chair Ghini and staff
divided the in-scope websites into four distinct areas of constitutional and statutory responsibility (See Exhibit A).
Analysis
The UETF reviewed the State Constitution and State Statutes for designated responsibilities. The following is a synopsis
of this review:
1. Both Article IV, Section 4, of the State Constitution and Chapter 17, F.S. states that the chief financial officer shall
serve as the chief fiscal officer of the state, and shall settle and approve accounts against the state, and shall keep all
state funds and securities. In addition, Section 216.0111 states that the Department of Financial Services is the
repository of all state agency contract information.
Therefore, all expenditure data as managed in the state accounting system and all contract data can be summarized as
“financial matters” and fall within the purview of the Chief Financial Officer and the Department of Financial Services. .
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2. Article III, Section 17 of the State Constitution places the development of the annual budget within the responsibility
of the Legislature. Chapter 216, F.S. outlines the planning and budgeting responsibilities, and again places the
responsibility in the Legislature, and to some extent, the Executive Office of the Governor (EOG).
Therefore, the responsibility for the state “budget and planning” lies with the Legislative Appropriations
System/Planning and Budgeting Subsystem (LAS/PBS), a system that includes members of both the EOG and the
Legislature.
3. Chapter 110, F.S. states that authority to establish rules over Public Officers, Employees, and Records is the
responsibility of the Department of Management Services. These records include salary information for individual state
employees.
Therefore, the responsibility for “personnel data” lies with the Department of Management Services, under the
direction of the EOG.
4. Finally, the Office of the Auditor General, a legislative office established in Ch. 11, F.S., has the authority and
responsibility to audit any agency’s fiscal and operational information. The audit findings are posted on the Auditor
General’s office website. These findings contain information related to State of Florida fiscal and operational data, but
not the data itself.
Therefore, the responsibility for “Auditor General Data” lies with the Auditor General’s Office.
Recommendation
Considering the division of responsibilities described above, the UETF recommends that all websites be aligned following
the functional lines of responsibility. For example, all websites containing data that currently fall under specific political
subdivisions within the categories outlined in the “As Is” model depicted in Exhibit A, should be consolidated into a
single website representing the respective functional line of responsibility outlined in the “To Be” model depicted in
Exhibit B. For example, all contract data should reside in the “Financial Matters” page (under the Chief Financial Officer),
all budget and planning data should reside in the “Budget and Planning” page (managed by LAS/PBS), all salary data
should reside in the “Personnel Data” page (managed by EOG/DMS), and all state audit reports should reside in the
“Related Operational Data” page. This can be accomplished using the hierarchical model.
This hierarchical model would include the creation of one navigation or “Landing “page with information leading to
websites including the four areas of responsibility: Financial Matters, Budget and Planning, Personnel Data, and Auditor
General (see Exhibit B). The purpose of this page is to guide, point, and educate users. To guide means to explain what
the website’s purpose is and to direct users toward the state operational and fiscal data for which they are looking. The
page should point the users where they need to go to find the data. The page should also educate the users about
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transparency using consistent information such as a glossary of terms and disclaimers, and should provide contact
information.
Website Construction Model Options: Consolidation, Linkage, or a Hybrid
Once the user has chosen the page dealing with a certain category of responsibility, the information can be presented in
two ways. First, all relevant information can be presented in a consolidated format on the website. For example, all
contracts may be incorporated into the same system, regardless of agency.
However, due to political subdivision, some information may not be incorporated into the website that reflects its area
of responsibility. Therefore, the second method of incorporation of this data onto the website can be accomplished
through links to the in-scope data.
In addition to state managed websites providing information on financial matters, budget and planning, and personnel
data, there may be state operational and fiscal information available on existing state and non state managed websites
that may, at the discretion of the task force, be relevant to the mission of the task force but does not necessarily fall
within the four major categories of responsibility (i.e. University-managed websites). The Task Force recommends
providing links to these websites on each relevant page.
Specific UETF Website Inventory information, including the URL, is provided in Table 1 below.
Table 1.
UETF Website Inventory
Agency
Name
Public Website URL
Brief Description
Financial Matters
DFS
http://www.myfloridacfo.com/Transparency/
Transparency website including State Budget tab, State Contracts
search, State Contract audits, Vendor payments, State spending,
Cash Balances, Financial reports, and Local gov't information.
http://app2.freshfromflorida.com/contracts/.
Contract information from the Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services
DACS
Fresh From
Florida
Contracts
Legislature
Florida House
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Pu
blicGuide/ContractsSearchForm.aspx
House contracts
Legislature
Florida Senate
http://www.flsenate.gov/reference/publicrec
ords/contracts/
Senate contracts
Budget and Planning
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EOG
Florida Fiscal
Portal
Legislature
Transparency
Florida
http://floridafiscalportal.state.fl.us/
http://www.transparencyflorida.gov/
Agency LBRs, capital improvement plans, and long range
performance plans; Governor's Budget Recommendations;
Legislative Appropriation bills; Conference reports on the budget;
Governor's Veto messages; Schedule of Trust Fund Revenues and
unreserved balances (by agency, by trust fund); Final Budget
Report by Fiscal year showing actual authorized positions and
actual expenditures; Long-range Financial Outlook; Fiscal Analysis
in brief; Planning and budgeting instructions and forms; Water
Management District Tentative Budgets
Meant to provide public access to Florida’s operating budget and
expenditure records
Revenue estimating data used for planning purposes
Legislature
http://edr.state.fl.us/Content/index.cfm
Personnel Data
DMS
Florida Has A
Right To Know
Legislature
Florida House
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Pu
blicGuide/SalarySearchForm.aspx
Legislature
Florida Senate
http://www.flsenate.gov/reference/publicrec
ords/salaries
http://www.floridahasarighttoknow.com/
Transparency website that includes access to employee position
and salary information for entities within the state personnel
system, the University system, and the State Board of
Administration. This site also presents pension information for
retirees with greater than 100K in annual benefits - names of
retirees not included.
House salaries
Senate salaries
Auditor General Data
AUD
Auditor
General
http://www.myflorida.com/audgen/
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Audit reports from FY 1995-1996 to present (searchable by the
year, entity audited, or type of audit)
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