Sunshine Sunday

By Representative Everett Rice

"A popular Government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives."

These words belong to James Madison, the recognized champion of open government. Madison knew that democratic government only works when it operates in the freedom of public disclosure and accountability. Citizens have a right to know how they are governed as well as the means by which they are represented.

Our representative democracy works precisely because its representatives are held accountable to the citizens. The public’s right to knowledge of governmental operations is the core and foundation of our democracy. It is a sacred trust to which all elected representatives of the people must be held accountable.

Florida’s Sunshine and Public Records laws allow citizens all over the state access to knowledge that impacts their daily lives. These laws also make elected officials better stewards of the public trust.

In 1992, Floridians voted to amend the state constitution so that this right of open access to governmental proceedings would be enshrined for all generations. This constitutional amendment ensured that Abraham Lincoln’s ideal of government of the people, for the people, and by the people would be our legacy and our responsibility.

In a democratic form of government guided by the Constitution and the rule of law, a system of checks and balances provides a necessary deterrence to any abuse of power. No one person is above or beyond the law thanks in large part to open government. Transparency in government allows the public access to information about elected officials and how their tax monies are spent. More importantly, open government allows each and every citizen to determine their own destiny and make important decisions affecting their daily lives.

Public service is a privilege, not a right. Those who serve in elected office owe it to the people whom they serve to conduct business in a transparent environment where all citizens are able to access information about such proceedings.

If we are to secure our democratic form of government, transparency and openness must be the pillars upon which it is secured. As elected officials of the public trust, we can not shy away from this responsibility. We must take it up as our mantle of freedom and liberty.

Everett Rice was elected to the Florida House in 2004, after serving as Pinellas County Sheriff for sixteen years.

Back to top | Return to fsne.org