From the News Service of Florida:
The Florida Senate on Wednesday could take up a proposal that would change laws about publishing local-government legal notices, as newspapers and media organizations scurry to try to block the bill.
The Senate Rules Committee approved the measure (HB 7049) on Tuesday, the first time the proposal was heard in the Senate during the legislative session that started Jan. 11. The session is scheduled to end Friday.
The House last week voted 78-39 to pass the bill, which, in part, would allow local governments to publish legal notices on publicly available county websites if it would be cheaper than publishing them in newspapers.
Senate bill sponsor Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, said the goal is to “get legal notices to the most people.â€
But opponents raised a series of objections, including that many rural areas lack internet access, that people would not find the information on county websites and that the Senate should not be taking up the issue without considering it earlier in committees.
“This essentially is a solar eclipse on the public,†Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, said. “It’s designed to block out the sunshine.â€
The PNJ has been running ads proclaiming the need for legal notices in its print editions. Now we know why.