Government in the Sunshine

Florida's Government-in-the-Sunshine Law applies when two or more members of the same elected or appointed public board or commission meet to discuss or take action on any matter which may foreseeably come before them for action. The Sunshine Law requires that:

1. Meetings be open to the public
2. Notice be given; and
3. Minutes be taken.
   

 

Meetings
Public boards or commissions are prohibited from holding their meetings at any facility which discriminates on the basis of sex, age, race, color, national origin, creed, religion, or economic status, or which operates in a manner that unreasonably restricts public access. Public agencies should take reasonable steps to ensure that meeting facilities will accommodate the anticipated turnout.

Notice
A written notice containing the time, place, and general subject of the meeting should be given. Notice should be published, posted, and/or circulated in a way meant to allow members of the public who may be interested to know about the meeting. Posting via website complies with this requirement.

Minutes
Minutes of a public meeting must be promptly recorded and open to public inspection. A written transcript of a meeting may be used as the minutes, but minutes are not required to be verbatim.

Appeals
Certain public meetings result in actions taken by the public board, commission or agency that may be appealed; in such case persons are advised that, if they decide to appeal any decision made at a public meeting/hearing, they will need a record of the proceedings, and, for such purposes, they may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.