10:50 p.m. EST, March 10, 2012|By Anika Myers Palm, Orlando Sentinel Laura Williams’ interest in public records was born of tremendous personal tragedy: In 1996, her then-husband, who had abused her, killed both their 2-year-old daughter and himself. In the years that followed, she joined groups that helped domestic-violence victims. And in 2007, she began…
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By MICHAEL BARFIELD Published: Friday, March 16, 2012 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 7:14 p.m. James Madison, the founding father of our open-government laws, once emphasized the importance of citizens having the ability to be informed: “A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but…
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Published: Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 12:01 a.m. Last Modified: Saturday, March 10, 2012 at 11:37 p.m. Two substantial events took place in Tallahassee on Friday: completion of the Florida Legislature’s annual 60-day session — scheduled two months early this year to provide time for the Florida Supreme Court to rule on new voting districts…
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OUR OPINION: During Sunshine Week, the public’s right to know is once again in peril BY THE MIAMI HERALD EDITORIAL HERALDED@MIAMIHERALD.COM As Florida celebrates Sunshine Week and the importance of open government and freedom of information there are some rays of sunshine pushing through the dark clouds of secrecy. One ray: The Florida Legislature ended…
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By ANDREW WYNER and MICHAEL SMALLBERG Click here to join POGO’s Un-Do Influence Campaign: a movement ot reclaim Washington As part of Sunshine Week, a national initiative to highlight the importance of open government and freedom of information, POGO is releasing a host records obtained by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Read more about POGO’s plans…
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BY MIKE SCHNEIDER ASSOCIATED PRESS ORLANDO, Fla. — Advocates of Florida’s open government laws should focus on the rights of speakers to have their voices heard at public meetings and push to open up the state’s process of making laws to further scrutiny, one of the state’s top defenders of government transparency said Monday. Too often…
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Sunshine Week seeks to enlighten and empower people to play an active role in their government at all levels, and to give them access to information that makes their lives better and their communities stronger. Sunshine Week, March 11-17, 2012, is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and…
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ames Madison succinctly described the importance of an informed electorate: “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance. And a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” This is also a call for government transparency, as only voters informed in how their government works can effectively use the…
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Negron bill guaranteeing right to speak at public meetings dies in House
Government officials still won’t have a legal obligation to hear from the public at open meetings after Sen. Joe Negron‘s right-to-speak proposal died in the Legislature this year. For the second consecutive year, a push to require officials to allow public comment at most open meetings has come up short. Negron’s bill, SB 206, passed through…
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