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Pensacola News Journal

Keep the Sunshine shining in

Today is Sunshine Sunday, when newspapers across Florida remind readers that government in the sunshine is not just for the media, but for all of us.

Florida has perhaps the strongest Sunshine Law and Public Records Law in the United States. Simply put, it shines the bright light of public access into governmental operations.

It gives Florida residents the right to know what their governments — local and state — are doing.

Any ordinary Floridian, not just a newspaper television reporter, has the right to attend meetings and see most government documents.

Under the law, you generally don’t have to give a reason for your request, say who or what group you represent, or even show identification; you don’t have to make the request in writing, although it creates a record of the request.

You might have to pay for copies of documents — but the cost has to be reasonable.

Unfortunately, every year legislators — often lobbied by local and state officials — seek to add new restrictions to your right to know what your government is doing.

That’s a big reason why Sunshine Sunday comes each year near the beginning the of the legislative session, now underway in Tallahassee.

It is also why newspaper and other media companies, and the First Amendment Foundation in Tallahassee, pay close attention to legislation that closes more doors and creates more governmental backrooms where governmental policy can be crafted, and tax dollars spent, out of the sunshine.

In an era when government at the national level increasingly asserts its right to act outside of public scrutiny, it is increasingly important to reassert the public’s right to know what its government is doing.

Today, technology makes it easier and easier for governments to keep tabs on citizens. Whether it is cameras set up to watch public sidewalks and parks and monitor traffic, or software programs that count votes or watch and listen to what we say and do in e-mails and telephone calls, the balance between government power and citizen freedom is always in the balance.

Government is supposed to serve the people, not be its master. But the reality of politics and power is that the people must constantly be on guard to preserve and protect their rights.

Government in the Sunshine is a powerful tool for protecting those rights.

That’s what Sunshine Sunday is all about.

Reproduced courtesy of the Pensacola News Journal.
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