- April 25, 2024
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A bill filed in February by state Rep. Byron Donalds would allow two members of any board or commission with five or more members to meet in private to discuss business and policy issues before public decisions are made — something Ormond Beach's Zone 4 city commissioner, Rob Littleton, says would help locally elected officials better serve their communities.
"Local officials cannot share ideas, plan, thoroughly vet issues or rely on our fellow members' experiences because we are forbidden from speaking with each other," said Littleton. "Since meetings are held only twice a month, this forces us to be practical with what we individually bring up for discussion at a meeting."
The current Florida Sunshine Law is designed to guarantee public access to the public records of governmental bodies, so any time two or more members get together it is considered a meeting under current law and must be properly noticed.
Though Littleton believes the intent of the law is worthwhile in helping to prevent backroom deals, he says it has consequences, like the fact that officials are mainly influenced by staff and special interests because they give officials the most information. The new bill, HB 843, could change that.
"We have a good staff, because we live in Ormond Beach," Littleton said. "But I'm sure other places have drastic problems with the flow of information."
In Ormond, Littleton said, the problem is more not having enough time to properly vet an issue or policy.
"What happens is that prior to a meeting, you get an agenda packet," he said. "It's flushed out, and staff will give you some information or not give you some information. Or if word gets around town about something, you'll get calls and emails from people and you might only get one side of the story.
"What happens is that your mind could be made up prior to a city commissions meeting," he said. "If new information about a policy is brought to life in a public meeting, you’re not able to properly discuss it."
Neither Littleton nor anyone else on the City Commission will have a vote on changes to the Sunshine Law, but state Rep. Tom Leek, who represents Ormond Beach in the Florida House of Representatives, will. Leek said that although he hasn't seen HB 843 come across his desk yet, he maintains that he's a strong advocate of transparency.
"I look at any law that would change that with a skeptical eye," Leek said of HB 843. "But there has to be some balance between transparency and enabling an individual to do work. There's a lot of valuable work that gets done one-on-one. I don't have a problem with our local officials talking to each other as long as they aren't colluding."
