Yes, Florida has a strong open government law and yes, the public has access to nearly all meetings between one or more elected officials on the same board.
But that doesn’t mean Broward County has to listen to all of you speak for three hours.
The county attorney’s office has issued a memo saying they believe the public does not have the legal right to speak at Tuesday’s incinerator workshop and can also ask that just a representative of a large group speak.
Click here to read it.
Commissioners are considering a request from Wheelabrator to close an incinerator. The voice for open government is from the company’s chief competitor, Ron Bergeron.
The original plan for lengthy public input is now pared down to an hour and 15 minutes.
The agenda for Tuesday’s workshop about a proposal to close one of the two trash-to-energy incinerators in Broward County shows that the entire shebang is only scheduled for four and a half hours.
Here’s the agenda:
Broward County
Board of County Commissioners
Workshop: Sale of Wheelabrator
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Commission Chambers, Room 422
12:30 PM or Immediately Following the Morning Meeting
__________________________________________________________
12:30 PMStaff Presentation, Including Questions
1:15 PMPresentation by Wheelabrator/Waste Management, Including Questions
1:45 PMPresentation by Municipal Officials, Including Questions
2:15 PMPublic Comments
3:30 PM Board Discussion
5:00 PM Workshop Adjourns
Please note the following:
There will be no decisions made at this workshop.
As some members of the County Commission will be traveling to Tallahassee to address important legislative issues, the workshop is expected to end at 5:00 PM.
There is a second opportunity for public comment on this issue. Any member of the public attending the workshop that does not have the ability to speak prior to Board discussion, will be prioritized for comments at the Regular Meeting, should he or she desire to do so.
It is anticipated that the Board will formally consider the request by Wheelabrator/Waste Management at its March 3, 2015 Regular Commission Meeting.
Original article here.
