ABSTRACT
I. Introduction............................................................................................................ 336 II. The state of Florida: a fallen leader through political transition.......................... 336 III. Florida’s e-government management history........................................................ 337 IV. Reflections on e-government management: same old issues with a new
technology .............................................................................................................. 344 A. Political influences.......................................................................................... 344 B. Personnel issues.............................................................................................. 346 C. Innovation....................................................................................................... 347
V. Lessons learned from Florida: summary and conclusions.................................... 349 References........................................................................................................................ 350
ThestateofFloridawasclearly the leadingstategovernment ine-government in themid1990s. Explanations includepolitical leadership and competition, innovativepersonnel practices, and entrepreneurial leadership. With a change in the governor’s office in the 1998 election from a moderate Democrat to a firmly antigovernment conservative Republican, the state became one of the first to experience the influence of a dramatic government transition in e-governmentmanagement philosophy. This chapter primarily reflects on the state’s experience under Jeb Bush and whether commonly asserted public information management ideas are supported. Experiences, as in the pre-1998 period covered in the last edition of this volume, tend to support the importance of political leadership,personnelarrangements, and institutional structureson innovation.
