Trade secrets include scientific, technical or commercial information particular to that company's product or services, such as a design, a process, a list of suppliers or customers, or business code, the statute states.
In response to a public records request from The Sun, the university this week released heavily redacted documents that blot out the amount of money UF will pay Pearson over the life of the 10-year contract - saying that information is a trade secret exempt from the public records law.īarbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation of Florida in Tallahassee - which has helped the public and news media navigate the state's public records law for 30 years - said the university's stated exemption is dubious.įlorida law defines a “trade secret” as all or part of a formula, pattern, device, combination of devices, or compilation of information used in the operation of a business and which gives that business an advantage over its competitors who don't have that information.
The University of Florida had to pay an education consulting company cash up front before it could help get the Legislature-mandated and state revenue-funded UF Online up and running.īut UF officials have been mum on how much the university is paying Pearson Learning, the largest “enabler” of online education for nonprofit universities.
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