WCTA HOSTS FAF SEMINAR

From all over the panhandle they came to Santa Rosa Beach on April 27.  Provide the people what they want and they will come!  Ordinary citizens, lawyers, and government officials gathered for a WCTA sponsored seminar on the Florida Sunshine Law and Access to Public Records. There were fifty-four registered participants and many did not register.  Star of the presentation was Barbara Peterson, President of the First Amendment Foundation.

The First Amendment Foundation is a highly visible and accessible source of authoritative information, expertise, and assistance to the public and news media. It was founded as a non-profit organization in 1984 by The Florida Press Association, the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, and the Florida Association of Broadcasters to ensure that public commitment and progress in the areas of free speech, free press, and open government do not become checked and diluted during Florida’s changing times.

The FAF purpose is to protect and advance the public’s constitutional right to open government by providing education and training, legal aid and information services. Funding is based on voluntary contributions and donations by news media and concerned organizations and individuals.

We learned the nitty gritty details on how to use the law to provide checks and balances on government operations. The public has the guaranteed right to all public records that have not been exempted. The down side is the legislature has granted over 1,000 such exemptions.  The FAF is in a constant battle each legislature session attempting to protect the public rights and keep access and records open. 

We also learned minutes of public meetings do not have to be approved before they become public record, a private company doing work on behalf of a government is covered under Sunshine, and one person acting on behalf of a board or commission is covered.  Ad-on items to agendas are permitted but if they are controversial the Attorney General recommends they should be tabled until the next meeting.

The mere posting of a notice on a city bulletin board and faxing the notice to the press on short notice meetings is mostly likely insufficient.  Recently the City of DeFuniak Springs caused uproar with this tactic on a Cemetery Committee meeting. Should a complaint be filed it will be interesting to see the Attorney Generals decision.

To become better educated see www.floridafaf.org. The handbooks they publish are a gold mine for information.