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…
Read more
Close monitoring of what goes on in Tallahassee during the annual sessions of the Florida Legislature always brings to mind this quote: “Laws are like sausages; it is better not to see them being made.” It often is attributed to Otto von Bismarck, a statesman credited with the unification of Germany in the 1800s. Bismarck…
Read more
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is accused in a lawsuit of violating the state’s open-meetings “Sunshine Act.” Two environmental groups sued Tuesday in state Circuit Court in Tallahassee. Their lawsuit alleges a technical advisory committee held closed-door meetings to draft a plan for cutting off public boating access…
Read more
The frontal assault on Florida’s growth-management laws continues in Tallahassee. Case in point? Senate Bill 1180, authored by Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton. This flawed piece of legislation portends negative consequences for the review of developments of regional impact if approved by lawmakers and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott. Here are some “lowlights” of this…
Read more
Open government contacts by agency can be found at flgov.com/open-government-contacts-by-agency. Agencies include the Executive Office of the Governor, the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Office of Financial Regulation, the Agency for enterprise Information Technology, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the…
Read more
From the First Amendment Foundation: The following is a list of the bills we will be tracking throughout the 2011 Legislative Session. As usual, we have selected those bills with open government and first amendment implications we think will be of interest to our members. After the summary of each open government bill, you will…
Read more
As you know, the First Amendment Foundation sponsors an annual Sunshine Recognition Luncheon during the legislative session. The Sunshine Recognition Luncheon honors previous winners of the Pete Weitzel/Friend of the First Amendment Award, and is a great opportunity to associate your organization with the Foundation’s efforts, to invite your local legislators to lunch, and to…
Read more
Dear Gov. Rick Scott: As an organization representing print and digital news organizations around the Sunshine State, The Florida Society of News Editors would like to commend you for reaffirming your commitment to the Office of Open Government, as well as for your efforts to meet with and inform the press. As president of FSNE,…
Read more
BY MICHAEL C. BENDER TALLAHASSEE — Three top Senate Republicans violated their chamber’s own open meeting requirement when they discussed the state budget at a private dinner with Gov. Rick Scott, a First Amendment attorney said Tuesday. “The meeting was held in a location not open to the public,” said Jim Rhea, director of the…
Read more