by the News Service of Florida

November 30, 2016
In a move that could spur a renewed lobbying battle, Senate Judiciary Chairman Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, filed a proposal Wednesday that would give judges discretion in deciding whether to award attorney fees in public-records lawsuits. The bill (SB 80), filed for the 2017 legislative session, mirrors a proposal from the 2016 session that died amid opposition from open-government advocates. Supporters of the 2016 measure argued that people were inundating some local governments with public-records requests as a strategy to file lawsuits and generate attorney fees. Under current law, government agencies are required to pay attorney fees when they are found to have improperly withheld public records. The bill would soften the requirement, saying judges “may” order agencies to pay attorney fees in such cases. Steube, who was elected Nov. 8 to the Senate, sponsored the 2016 version of the bill while a member of the House. [READ MORE]