Rules Committee Backs Bill to Require Public Comments

The Senate Rules Committee on Monday unanimously backed SB 206, which would require local governments throughout the Sunshine State to hear from their residents before voting on any topic.

The bill, by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, is trying to reverse, through the legislative process, a 1st District Court of Appeal ruling from 2010 that declared the public does not have a right, by law, to speak at meetings.

In 2010, the three-judge panel backed a lower court ruling against a group of residents who claimed they were denied a chance to address the Pensacola nonprofit Community Maritime Park Associates concerning the waterfront park.

The appeal court found that the states Sunshine Law didnt guarantee citizens the right to be heard at meetings.