City asks public about access to records

On the heels of allegations that city commissioners may violate Florida’s sunshine laws if they attend a business meeting together in Aviles, Spain, city staff announced this afternoon that a new e-mail address has been established to collect ideas from the public on how the municipal government can make public records and meetings more accessible.

“The Sunshine Law,” the general term used to describe Florida’s comprehensive body of laws regarding the public’s access documents and open meetings, allow Florida citizens to be as informed regarding the work of government as they wish to be.

The City of St. Augustine has now made it easy for its constituency to offer suggestions by launching a new email address just for those suggestions. The email address is easy to remember, and appropriately named: sunshine@citystaug.com.

Of particular interest to city staff is suggestions on how the city’s Web site, www.staugustinegovernment.com, can better serve the needs of the community. Additionally, suggestions are sought on how the city might make its records and meetings more accessible.

Asking for the community’s input is part of an initiative within City Hall to improve the level of accessibility of public records. Current policies and procedures are being reviewed, with an eye towards making it easier to be an informed citizen.

Currently, the city’s Web site offers volumes of documents including the agendas and minutes from every meeting for the past eight years of the City Commission, Planning and Zoning Board, Historic Architectural Review Board and many other bodies within city government. The site also contains contact information for officials, rosters of members of the many city boards, content of special reports and studies, announcements of special meetings and requests for bids on city projects.

“Even with the volumes of information available, there could be more and so city staff is seeking the community’s input,” the press release said.