By Kelly Cornelius
PoHo contributor & R-LAND; activist
I was surprised to read Thursday that the meeting of County Commissioners regarding who will foot the bill for what could be nearly $500,000 of your tax dollars (for the financial mess in the wake of Commissioner White's sex trial) would be behind closed doors. What? This board do something without the public involved? The initial assault on the wetlands comes to mind.
I really didn't think that a meeting with more than one elected official from the same governing body was allowed to occur without public access according to the Sunshine Law, so I asked County Attorney Renee Lee. She quickly informed me that there is a provision F.S. 286.011(8) that "allows the attorney to meet in private with the board to discuss pending litigation." She went on to state that these meetings are often called shade or closed meetings or an executive session.
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 1, 2009.