Paxety Pages

Florida, until the end of WWII, was a rather small state population wise. Then it began to grow - my theory is that air-conditioning made it possible for more people to endure the heat. But Florida politics continued to be controlled by a small group of rural legislators in Tallahassee known as the Pork Chop Gang.  They supported Minnesota Senator Joe McCarthy, supported segregation, and investigated the NAACP. They said they investigated "communists, freedom riders and homosexuals." The 20-members operated in secret, controlled the State Senate, and protected North Florida from the growth of South Florida.

In 1954, LeRoy Collins ran for governor on a promise of "Government in the Sunshine, not in the shade." He introduced the first Sunshine bill in 1955, saying,  "The people of Florida possess the sovereignty of statehood. [They] have yielded to us no right to decide what is good for them to know, or what is bad for them to know."

The bill passed the House, but died in a Senate committee. That happened every year until 1967.

What changed? The federal government forced Florida to comply with the one-man, one-vote decision of the Supreme Court. Florida reapportioned the legislative seats. For instance, Dade County increased from 3 legislative seats in 1965 to 20 in 1967. New legislators included Bob Graham - Claude Kirk was elected the first Republican governor since reconstruction.

The Florida Sunshine Law was quickly passed - it's called the strongest open meetings law in the world. In 1969 it survived a court challenge, in the opinion, Justice James. C. Adkins wrote:

"The right of the public to be present and to be heard during all phases of enactments by boards and commissions is a source of strength in our country. During past years tendencies toward secrecy in public affairs have been the subject of extensive criticism. Terms such as managed news, secret meetings, closed records, executive sessions, and study sessions have become synonymous with 'hanky panky' in the minds of public spirited citizens. One purpose of the Sunshine Law was to maintain the faith of the public in governmental agencies. Regardless of their good intentions, these specified boards and commissions, through devious ways, should not be allowed to deprive the public of this inalienable right to be present and to be heard at all deliberations wherein decisions affecting the public are being made."

Now, the Legislature is considering a big change. A proposed bill, according to WOKV,  would allow local governments to meet in secret with corporations they are trying to lure into the state. The local governments could promise the businesses tax incentives, take your home and give the property to a business, or give them money, etc. as incentives to lure them into the local government's area. In other words, the local governments could agree to huge corporate welfare payments without disclosing it to you.

WOKV also quotes State House Speaker Allan Bense (R- Panama City - in the north Florida panhandle) as saying that sometimes business development is more important than the people's right to know. A direct contradiction of the Sunshine Law and a return to the rule of the Pork Chop Gang.