The term Sunshine State has also come to describe a state government that is open and accessible to all citizens, most clearly expressed in our state’s open government laws.
But a profound and dangerous darkness has overtaken every corner of state government and most especially in Tallahassee.
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Read More… from Opinion: Citizens must support open government
The abrupt resignation of the chief of Florida's crime-fighting agency prompted media and open government advocates to file a lawsuit accusing Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet of violating state Sunshine Laws.
The Florida Society of News Editors, the Associated Press, Citizens for Sunshine and a St. Petersburg lawyer teamed up Wednesday to ask a Leon County court to rule that Scott's ouster of Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey subverted open meeting laws.
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Governor Rick Scott is getting pressure from media organizations and open-government advocates who filed a lawsuit over the ouster of Florida’s top cop.
The lawsuit alleges the handling of the forced resignation of the state’s top law-enforcement officer violated the Sunshine Law and is calling for an independent investigation.
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Read More… from Media, Open-Government Groups Seek Answers On Bailey Ouster
The spotlight turns on Tallahassee today as Gov. Rick Scott is sworn in for a second term, and there will be optimistic speeches and pronouncements about the Sunshine State's bright future. Yet the governor and the Legislature have driven state government into the darkness with their disregard for public records and brazen attempts to keep public business secret. If this is a day of fresh starts, then Scott and legislative leaders should pledge to honor Florida's commitment to government in the sunshine instead of fighting it at every turn.
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Read More… from Editorial: Florida Gov. Rick Scott should embrace openness rather than secrecy
It’s an unusual situation when a governmental agency releasing information to the public is a negative thing from a journalistic perspective, but the manner in which the Tallahassee Police Department did so this week is highly questionable. The department has been under plenty of public fire this year thanks to reports from Fox Sports and The New York Times alleging that they hindered investigations against Florida State football players, and an ESPN freedom of information request was set to bring forth plenty of other documents that portrayed the department in a bad light.
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In Florida we pride ourselves on our policy of government in the sunshine. We expect all aspects of lawmaking and enforcement to be transparent so voters can see and participate in our democratic process and have access to relevant information to hold elected officials accountable.
Most governors have honored this commitment to open government and have tried to follow the spirit of the law.
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Read More… from Editorial: a cloud over Florida’s Sunshine Laws
Floridians are blessed with the most expansive open government laws in the nation. While the state's Sunshine Law ensures the public's right of access to most governmental meetings and records, those official entities can encounter difficulties on several fronts.
Slow responses to public records requests elicit sharp criticism for stonewalling. No response to those entreaties can spark lawsuits that can prove costly to government programs and taxpayers.
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Read More… from On Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Law, err on the side of caution
A group that claims to be a champion of transparency has been filing a slew of lawsuits against Florida's government agencies, ostensibly to force the agencies to comply with public records laws. But just how much money has the group won? They're not willing to say.
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Declaring that Florida's open government laws have been "under attack in recent years," the First Amendment Foundation asked the two candidates for governor to answer three questions pledging to reverse recent trends and operate with more transparent practices if they are elected.
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When it comes to transparency, Florida Governor Rick Scott hasn't always been crystal clear. So says President of the First Amendment Foundation, Barbara Petersen. She says some of that stems from the governor's long history working in the private sector.
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Read More… from Some Call FL Governor’s Transparency Efforts Cloudy
