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Florida Times-Union GOVERNMENT Let the sun shine It's easy to take Florida's open government laws and their value for granted. But imagine what life would be like if the city council could close its meetings to the public and conceal its decisions about spending tax dollars, or how consumers would fare if records on doctor discipline or property appraisals were off limits. Our society would be a much different place ‹ and not necessarily for the better. Today, the Times-Union joins newspapers throughout Florida in noting the importance of open government as part of Sunshine Sunday, an effort coordinated by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. Public meetings and records laws help ensure that government stays accountable to the governed. The Legislature can — and does — create exemptions to the state's open government laws, and state lawmakers are again proposing dozens. Some may be justified, but many — such as a proposal to exempt cell phone billing records for law enforcement officers — are not. Government by the people works best when the people can see how it is working. |
