Herald-Tribune by Editorial
March 11, 2018
We’ve spotted an unwelcome trend in Florida politics, and, for once, it doesn’t involve the usual suspects — such as guns, illegal immigrants, tax cuts, or corporate welfare.
This time, it’s a fundamental aspect of Florida’s Constitution and operations at state and local government. Consider the following examples reported by various news outlets during just the past three months:
‒ A state appellate court last month ruled that the St. Petersburg City Council violated the law by holding a closed-door meeting to discuss a controversial ordinance related to shooing homeless people out of city parks;
‒ The city of St. Pete Beach settled a case alleging wrongful closed-door meetings over revisions to the city comprehensive land-use plan;
‒ The city of Bradenton Beach has spent more than $52,000 so far defending itself against accusations that it wrongfully withheld public records;
‒ Four current of former members and the general counsel of the North Broward Hospital District Commission were indicted for conducting private meetings to discuss the ousting of the hospital CEO;
‒ Two Martin County commissioners and a former member were arrested for destroying public records related to a lawsuit involving a company that operates a rock quarry;
‒ A local TV station in Riviera Beach sued the city after city council members refused to turn over text messages that may indicate they discussed the firing of the city manager out of the public eye. [READ MORE]