01/26/16 – By Lloyd Dunkelberger

A bill that critics say could eviscerate Florida’s public records law advanced in a Senate committee today.

The measure (SB 1220), sponsored by Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, would let judges decide whether to award legal fees in cases where a citizen goes to court and wins a ruling that a public agency violated the open-records law by illegally denying or delaying access to the records. The current law requires the fees be paid. [Read More]