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."