Campaign Finance
Counties are prohibited from expending public funds to advocate for or against a position that will come before the voters. This measure, SB 216, sponsored by Senator Charlie Justice, passed in the 2009 session and was signed by Governor Charlie Crist. This law restricts local governments’ ability to expend or authorize the expenditure of funds to advocate for the passage or defeat of any issue, referendum, or amendment that will appear on the ballot before the electorate. The bill does not prohibit local elected officials’ ability to voice his or her opinion, but there is no clear distinction between fact and opinion. FAC opposed this bill and will monitor how this legislation affects local governments.
Ethics
As elected officials, county commissioners are expected to be good stewards of the tax payer’s dollars, and with that county officials must maintain a high level of trust with the public. As a general rule, full disclosure is the best policy. For the most up to date information of ethics laws in Florida, please visit the Florida Ethics Commission’s website.
Government in the Sunshine
In October 2009, the Attorney General called together a Task Force to examine how emerging technology impacts state agencies in Florida. National experts from Research in Motion, the makers of Blackberry smartphones, came to demonstrate the capabilities that technology has to retain public records. In the midst of alleged ethical and Government in the Sunshine Law violations at the Public Service Commission, these experts discussed Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and indicated that PIN messaging can be retained as a public record. However, the costs of supporting technology, like server space, to retain all such communication may prove to be cost prohibitive. For more information on the Attorney General’s Sunshine Task Force visit their website at www.myflsunshine.com
The next Sunshine Task Force met in November 2009. The Attorney General has representatives from Microsoft to discuss voice over internet protocol (VOIP), instant messaging and video records. This unified communications structure has blurred the lines of what is personal and what is work related. Voicemails and conversations can now be digitized and transcribed and posted to the internet. Technology is capable of capturing these different forms of records and yet many questions arise over the retention and classification of such records. The consensus is that the best point to manage the data is when the record is created. Florida is not unique in addressing this age of technology, many states are updating their laws created decades ago. The basis for new laws should be on what will benefit the public - what input was given and what the outcome is.
The final Sunshine Task Force meeting will convene in late February and will focus on social networking.
Libraries
State Aid to local libraries is a critical component to keeping the doors of our counties information centers open.
Additional Resources:
Setting the 2010-2011 Employer Contribution Rates for the Florida Retirement System.pdf
Collective Bargaining Talk Sheet.pdf
FSASE Cost Replacement.pdf
FSASE Position Paper.pdf
FSASE Voter Survey.pdf
For more information on these issues contact Sarrah Carroll, Legislative Advocate II, at (850) 922-4300.