FSNE - Sunshine Sunday

An annual event that began with Florida newspapers in 2002 has become a national celebration. Florida is one of only five states in which open government is a constitutional right, reported Presstime magazine.

So we asked members of our E-Mail Interactive Group how open government laws have affected them.

Susie Wilson used public records while trying to collect child support.

Jamie Dennis used public records to find out how much houses were selling for, to check if sex offenders are in her neighborhood and for general information.

Bob Perron taps into the Web sites of the property appraiser, tax collector and clerk of the court for his job.

Bill Muir said that open government laws increase public participation. As a member of a condominium board, he was required to post notices of future meetings and make their records open for inspection.

George Harman made good use of open government laws while involved in a rezoning case in his neighborhood. He caught a mistake when tracking hearing results on a government Web site.

Not everyone has had positive experiences, though.

Mark Musselwhite says his requests for public records have taken "forever."

David Rouleau obtained a police report in Virginia after his wife was bitten by a dog, but only after submitting a formal request.

Neill Herring believes there is inconsistent compliance and enforcement of open government laws in Georgia.

Dick Downes worked as a vital records administrator, but he fears there are too many exceptions to public records. "If they keep nicking at it, pretty soon the law becomes useless," he said. He was recently appointed to the Atlantic Beach police pension board and was impressed with the extent to which his training covered compliance with the Sunshine Law.

Brenda Pollak, who once served on a city council in Northwest Florida, said that prohibiting discussions of public policy by two or more council members, even where no binding votes could be taken, may be too extreme. "Many potentially beneficial ideas never saw the light of day," she said.

While open government laws certainly make the lives of journalists easier, they are designed to be used by anyone. One determined citizen who knows how to use public records can move mountains.

Of course, some government agencies don't make it easy to use public records.

Readers said that Web sites have dramatically improved their access to information. At the same time, however, there are legitimate privacy concerns. Readers don't want their Social Security numbers or other sensitive financial information revealed.

Sometimes the desire for privacy and public access will conflict. When that happens, legislators may write exceptions to the laws. At the same time, however, these laws should not be overly broad or shield more information from public view than was originally intended.

The public expects journalists to fight for open government rights. Until Sunshine Sunday, news organizations in Florida often failed to cover these issues adequately.

I think the state of Florida could use an open government ombudsman, someone who advocates for full compliance with the laws and helps educate on how to use them. There are ombudsmen for other consumer issues in state government. I think voters would support it.

Reproduced courtesy of The Florida Times-Union.