Three weeks ago, a misdemeanor case ended without much fanfare in Orange County, Florida. And yet, for lobbyists throughout the state, it was reason to uncork the champagne.
The case was against lobbyist Chris Dorworth, the former legislator at the center of the expressway-authority scandal that led to multiple indictments, one prison sentence and, ultimately, the disintegration of the entire agency. Continue…
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Read More… from Florida courts give lobbyists a pass on ‘Sunshine’ laws
The Orlando Sentinel Media Group will host the First Amendment Foundation's fall Sunshine Seminar on Thursday, Sept. 17.
The one-day seminar gives an overview of Florida public records and public meeting requirements as well as a legislative update and discussion of media law issues. Continue>>>
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Read More… from Florida Sunshine, open meeting seminar planned for Orlando
FOI Followup: Successful litigants in a lawsuit against Florida Governor Rick Scott and his cabinet return the funds to NFOIC and to the Knight Foundation FOI grant program. The grant was critical to secure legal representation that may not have occurred without the funds. Continue>>>
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Registration is now open for FAF's Fall Sunshine Seminars! Continue>>>
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Read More… from Florida: 2015 FAF Sunshine Seminars Announced!
TALLAHASSEE – Project Sunburst, a public email-disclosure system started by Gov. Rick Scott after he took office in 2011, has been more of “a sunshine bust,” an open-government advocate said Thursday.
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Read More… from Florida: Transparency group call’s Scott’s ‘sunshine’ effort a failure
Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet have agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the Miami Herald, the Tampa Bay Times, and other media organizations over the behind-the-scenes firing of former FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey.
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First Amendment advocates are asking Gov. Rick Scott to veto three Senate bills his office received on Thursday, arguing that each measure represents another diminishment of Florida’s long tradition of open government and open records.
The First Amendment Foundation, an advocacy group for open government funded by newspapers and other groups and individuals, is asking Scott to veto four bills, including a House bill he has yet to receive.
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Florida lawmakers approved 13 new open-government exemptions and re-enacted seven existing exemptions during the annual legislative session that ended last week, according to the First Amendment Foundation, which tracks the issues.
The bills included exemptions (SB 200 and SB 7040) for:
– Email addresses held by county tax collectors and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Continue>>>
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Read More… from Florida Lawmakers pass 13 open government exemptions
Florida is famous for its sunshine.
But in West Palm Beach, when it came to training city officials in the state’s Government-in-the-Sunshine law on April 24, the session took place out of the sunshine.
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Read More… from West Palm officials meet privately about open-government law
That's easy for him to say — easy for House Republicans to hear — because they were in the room.
The other 19 million people of Florida were locked out. It's their money, their lives, their environment and their schools that are affected by what the Legislature does. It's just none of their business.
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