APR 10 Hot Topics, The Unshine State
Diana Smith | Published on 4/3/2024
April 10 Panel Focuses on Sunshine Law, First Amendment Issues
League of Women Voters of Orange County “Hot Topics” Lunch Series
Florida’s bright skies darkened recently as attacks on the Sunshine Law and other First Amendment rights left residents wondering what’s next on the horizon. The League of Women Voters of Orange County, in partnership with the Florida First Amendment Foundation, will shed light on the issue with Hot Topics panel discussion “The Unshine State: A Hazy Forecast for Florida’s Sunshine Law” on April 10 at the Winter Park Events Center. Winter Park Voice Editor Beth Kassab will moderate. Panelists include Bobby Block, executive director of the Florida First Amendment Foundation, Leslie Postal, an Orlando Sentinel education reporter, and Mike DeForest, an investigative reporter for WKMG News 6. Doors open at 11:00 for a buffet lunch, and the discussion starts at 11:45 a.m. at 1050 W. Morse Blvd. in Winter Park.
In 1967, Florida enacted one of the strongest public records and meetings law in the nation with the belief that transparency would hold government accountable. But the law has been weakened by more than 1,000 exemptions and by state and local officials who refuse to answer questions or comply with requests in a timely manner, slow-walk requests or demand high fees for making copies of records. In some cases, local governments balk at records requests because they lack money and staffing to accommodate them. There is confusion at times about what constitutes an open meeting, and sometimes voters’ comments are severely limited in public meetings.
Our Hot Topics panel and moderator also will discuss how the public can be more effective in making records requests and how to protect their First Amendment rights. As we prepare for the 2024 elections, the public affairs forum also will explore some recent laws enacted by Florida and other speech measures that were rejected. Among the issues to be discussed:
--Last year, the Legislature agreed to exempt Gov. Ron DeSantis’ travel records retroactively from public view, a move that prompted a lawsuit by the Washington Post.
--The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit group that advocates free speech, ranked Florida officials as the third worst in the nation in 2023 for censorship.
--DeSantis said he would sign a 2024 measure that would ban teens 13 and under from joining social media platforms. The legislation allows 14- and 15-year-olds to join if they have permission from parents or guardians. The law likely will face a court challenge on free speech grounds.
--The Stop WOKE Act restricting speech about race and gender has been challenged in multiple lawsuits, resulting in federal judges and appeals judges referring to various parts of the law as “positively dystopian” and the “greatest First Amendment sin.” Some parts of the law have been put on hold while challenges are pending.
--However, in a victory for free speech, the 2024 Legislature did not approve legislation that would have made it easier for politicians and the wealthy to sue reporters for defamation. Another bill that died in the Legislature would have censored speech on college campuses if the speech supported “foreign terrorism.”
Tickets are $30 for League members, $37 non-members. Register at www.LWVOC.org/HotTopics There will be a Hot Topics Overtime session in the Winter Park Library next door from 1:15-1:45 p.m. for further discussion of the subject. Hot Topics is streamed live on the League’s Facebook page Facebook and is available for viewing live on the League’s YouTube channel.
League of Women Voters Orange County - YouTube Channel HERE.
Visionary sponsors: Phil and Jennifer Anderson
Bronze sponsors: Lyn and David Berelsman and Voting Voices — Michele Levy, Charley Williams, and Laurie and Richard Wack
The League of Women Voters of Orange County, Florida, is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed
and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and
influences public policy through education and advocacy.