• Sunshine Sunday home page
Editorials
Cartoons
Columns
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Open Government is Good Government by Charlie Crist, Governor of Florida
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Attorney General helps keep state in the Sunshine by Bill McCollum, Florida Attorney General
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The Value of Transparency by Charles N. Davis, executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition
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Letter to Snowbirds by Jane E. Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota
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As bad as Nixon by John J. Glisch, Florida Today Editorial Page Editor
- Shielding names of companies offered relocation incentives is nothing new by Matt Reed, Florida Today Assistant Managing Editor
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Home of sunshine by Ron Cunningham, The Gainesville Sun
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To our readers — we’re giving you tools to get government records by Anders Gyllenhaal, Miami Herald
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Shedding light on the hidden by Michael Goforth, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers
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Whining? No, just a call for open records by Phil Lewis, Naples Daily News
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Florida’s Pride: The Sunshine Law
by Rosemary Goudreau,
The Tampa Tribune
More information
Links, video and basic information about Florida's Sunshine Law, the federal Freedom of Information Act and why they matter to citizens and journalists.
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First Amendment Foundation 2008 State agency audit for public record law compliance by Barbara Petersen, First Amendment Foundation
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The Watchdog Guide to Freedom of Information Q&A with Barbara Petersen, First Amendment Foundation and links to information about public records access.
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Office of Open Government by Brendan Farrington, Associated Press
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Spot checks highlight poor access to gubernatorial e-mail by Tom Hester, Associated Press
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Audit: Agencies want to provide records, but sometimes slip up by Brendan Farrington, Associated Press
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Goals being met — and more — at Office of Open Government by Brendan Farrington, Associated Press
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Open Government Mediation by James Miller, Daytona Beach News-Journal
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Audit reveals problems by M.C. Moewe, Daytona Beach News-Journal and Brendan Farrington, Associated Press
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Open records can be pricey by Ryan Lengerich,The News-Press (Fort Myers)
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Public records available to those who file requests by Ryan Lengerich, The News-Press (Fort Myers)
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Local agencies comply, but not always to the letter by Suevon Lee, the Ocala Star-Banner
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Records-access cases drop, McCollum says by Aaron Deslatte, Orlando Sentinel
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Some cell phone records lacking by Tony Bridges, Panama City News Herald
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Staff reports on open government Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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Reader feedback on open-government laws Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers
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Sunshine Week illuminates free-speech issues by Bill Cotterell, Florida Capital Bureau Political Editor, Tallahassee Democrat
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Crist’s open government message has mixed results by Bill Cotterell, Florida Capital Bureau Political Editor, Tallahassee Democrat
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Wakulla struggles with open government by Julian Pecquet, Tallahassee Democrat
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Wakulla’s fees to view records irk residents by Julian Pecquet, Tallahassee Democrat
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Wakulla County to clarify ‘emergency’ meetings by Julian Pecquet, Tallahassee Democrat
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Public scrutiny leads to changes in Wakulla County by Julian Pecquet, Tallahassee Democrat
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Few Agencies Ace Public Records Test by Julia Ferrante and Ellen Gedalius, The Tampa Tribune
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Governor Crist Proclaims “A Week of Sunshine” Press release
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The Lake City Reporter
Sunshine Law allows us to bathe in its light
Today is “Sunshine Sunday,” a day set aside to observe and recognize the required openness and accessibility of public records among Florida’s governmental offices.
This is a day to recognize and appreciate freedom.
Most public records are open to any and all residents who make a formal request for these and are willing to pay a minimal copy and processing fee. Nearly all government-created documents — there are a few exceptions — in Florida are open for public review or copying.
No one has special privileges to see these documents. Documents that fall under the auspices of the “Sunshine Law” are available for public consumption by any member of the public.
Governments too often across our state attempt to meet outside the “sunshine” of public meetings and many also attempt to oppress certain records that should be available for the public.
In Columbia County, we have a group of government officials who get a better-than-average grade at adhering to the Florida Open Records and Open Meetings Laws. Several agencies during the past year have been slow to respond to public records requests, but only a few have really shown their ignorance of the law. A rule of thumb that we’ve noticed among local government entities is that the more damning the document, the harder it is to obtain a copy. We eventually get it, but only by bird-dogging the source.
The beauty of the Sunshine Law is that everyone can bathe in its light. Whether it’s a federal, state or local agency, most documents produced by these groups are open for public review. If you’re curious about an issue, go to the agency and respectfully request the documents that interest you. In a few days, you should see democracy in action and have the answers to whatever question is on your mind.
Reproduced courtesy of the Lake City Reporter.
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