In response to the ongoing debate and changing guidelines from federal health officials, Gov. Ron DeSantis held another panel discussion at the Capitol Monday with a stacked deck of participants who spoke against mask mandates. One even equated wearing masks to child abuse.
There was no advance notice of the meeting; reporters didn’t get wind of it till the governor’s daily schedule was emailed at 9:21 p.m. . . .
The governor’s office didn’t explain why it didn’t notify the news media of the panel discussion in advance so reporters could attend and ask questions of DeSantis and the panelists.
To be sure, it’s not the first time DeSantis has excluded the media and press corps.
For instance, in May he signed a contentious election reform bill into law on Fox News, blocking members of the Capitol Press Corps from attending. . . .
The roundtable discussion doesn’t violate the letter of the state’s Sunshine Law or constitutional right of access, which require meetings of two or more members of the same board to be noticed in advance and open, said Virginia Hamrick, staff attorney for the First Amendment Foundation, a Tallahassee-based watchdog dedicated to free press, free speech and open government.
“Nonetheless, the Sunshine Law is meant to frustrate all evasive devices and prevent the crystallization of policies to take place in secret,” Hamrick said. “Meetings without notice and oversight of the public and press frustrate the purpose of the Sunshine Laws.”
Public notice gives any member of the public with an interest in government decisions the opportunity to attend meetings, she said. In this case, lack of notice prevents parents, teachers, journalists and others interested from attending, she said.
“Holding a meeting without notice and without the press makes it more difficult for the public to be informed of and oversee the actions of their government,” Hamrick said.
And with COVID-19 cases on the rise, school districts, teachers and parents have difficult decisions that affect the health of students and staff, she added.
“When elected officials meet behind closed doors, they avoid scrutiny of the press and the public,” Hamrick said.
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