Rep. Bob Rommel (R-Naples) has proposed Sunshine Law exemptions for information about applicants for top jobs at state universities and colleges. The proposal (HB 351) would shield from disclosure information about applicants…
Tag: Sunshine Law
Citizen advisory in Century charged with Sunshine Law violations
State Attorney Bill Eddins announced today that four members of the Citizens Advisory Task Force, an advisory board to the Town of Century City Council, have been charged with noncriminal violations of…
Government agencies still have to pay legal fees if they lose a public record case
Florida lawmakers ended the 2016 legislative session without approving bills stemming from a high-profile dispute about attorney fees in public-records cases. The issue centered on part of the state’s Sunshine Law that…
Sunshine Confessional
Prior to discussing the sale of the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority’s 19-acre downtown property yesterday, board Chairman Larry Walker took a few minutes to shed light on what he described as a…
The Sunshine Question
A Pensacola City Council member has raised the question of Sunshine-law violations. The official is claiming that the state’s open-government laws were violated via electronic communications, or e-mails. “The Sunshine Law violation…
Exclusive: Behind the scenes of BP Suttles visit
I missed Doug Suttles, BP’s chief operating officer, yesterday. The visit was a surprise that had Santa Rosa Island Authority and Escambia County officials scrambling most of Monday night. BP wanted to…
No criminal charges against Consolidation Commission
The State Attorney has issued a report that his office will not pursue criminal charges against the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission. The State Attorney’s office reviewed a complaint alleging that certain…
Beach Master Plan catching heat
The SRIA has been working on a new master plan for the commercial core of Pensacola Beach. The buzz is that the SRIA has gotten such a bad response from the general…
Courthouse buzz: ECCSC and sunshine
There is a persistent buzz around the Escambia County Administrative Complex about two members of the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission, Ken Bell and Rick Harper, may have violated the Florida Sunshine…
Why the county has sealed bids
Why is the sealed bid process so sacred? Because Escambia County has a history of backroom deals and preferential treatment for certain contractors. It wasn’t that long ago when four county commissioners…
What email problem?
Having dodged prosecution by the State Attorney’s Office, the Santa Rosa County Commission has passed unanimously a new email policy. According to the Daily News, the new policy mandates that all e-mails…
Valentino’s response
On August 17, Commissioner Valentino’s issued this response to the State Attorney’s reports on the Sunshine Law and public records investigations – read. Gene has chosen to emphasize certain words: BASELESS ALLEGATION…
Wood: Hall called about PEDC
Just got off the phone with Charles Wood, the senior vice president for economic development for the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. On April 28, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Wood received…
Did Hall and Valentino violate Sunshine Laws?
Did Councilman Sam Hall and Commissioner Gene Valentino violate Florida Sunshine Laws? Hall and Valentino both serve on the Pensacola-Escambia Economic Development Commission (PEDC). Valentino is the chairman, Hall vice-chair. According to…
Good work by PNJ
The daily newspaper did a good job of researching the Florida Sunshine Law and found three court cases on public input at meetings. As part of its agreement with the City of…
PNJ points our Sunshine violation
The daily newspaper noticed the same slip we did by Escambia Board school board member Claudia Brown-Curry at this week’s board meeting. Curry said that she and fellow board member Jeff Bergosh…
FAQ about Sunshine Law
From the Florida Attorney General’s website – I’ve highlighted certain points: Q. What is the Sunshine Law? A. Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine law provides a right of access to governmental proceedings at both the…
