03/13/07

Sunshine Week 2007

Governor restates commitment to strong Sunshine Laws

By BRENT KALLESTAD
Associated Press Writer

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Two months after he created an Office of Open Government, Gov. Charlie Crist re-emphasized his commitment to a free press Tuesday and formally released "A Week of Sunshine" proclamation.

The 50-year-old first-term governor has long been a strong advocate of open government, dating back to his days in the Legislature in the early 1990's.

"Our administration is committed to it," Crist told reporters, editors and broadcasters attending the First Amendment Foundation's annual legislative luncheon. "You have an important job and you also have a duty."

Two years ago Crist received the FAF's Pete Weitzel Award, which salutes the public official most committed to protecting the public's access to records and government meetings.

"I am really passionate about it because it's the people's government and, by golly, we have a duty to let them see it and observe it," Crist said Tuesday. "But they can't do that unless they get a window to it."

Meanwhile, Attorney General Bill McCollum announced Tuesday that his office will partner with the University of Florida-based Brechner Center on a project to encourage state and local governments to be more accountable to the public by providing citizens more information and records.

Crist noted the advantages of maintaining freedom of the press and speech during his talk Tuesday.

"Tonight somebody will go to sleep on the island of Cuba and they'll be dreaming about what we get to do here right now," he said. "And, unfortunately what many take for granted everyday."

Unlike his predecessor, Crist's office has handled records requests quickly and usually without a fee. Gov. Jeb Bush's office frequently used a variety of tactics, including expensive copying charges, to delay reporters' requests as long as possible.

Crist's proclamation, recognizing March 11-17, 2007, as Sunshine Week, designated by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, read, in part that "the best way to ensure that government truly represents the people it serves is to keep the government open and accessible to all people."

The new Office of Open Government, created in early January, is charged with assuring full and expeditious compliance with the state's open government and public records laws. The office has already arranged for 500 state employees to receive training from the Florida Institute of Government about Florida's open government laws.
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On the Net:
Office of Open Government at www.flgov.com/og_home,
First Amendment Foundation: http://www.floridafaf.org
Florida Legislature: http://www.leg.state.fl.us