Floridians back open meetings, public records
By The Associated Press
11.06.02
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Floridians made it harder yesterday for the Legislature to grant exemptions to Florida's open-meetings and public-records laws.
Constitutional Amendment 4, which requires a two-thirds majority of each house of the Legislature to approve new exemptions, passed easily.
With 6,615 of 6,716 precincts reporting, the amendment had a favorable vote of 3,291,623, or 77%, compared to 1,003,707 votes, or 23%, opposed.
The Legislature placed the amendment on the ballot at the urging of First Amendment advocates, who contended the lawmakers were creating too many loopholes.
Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation, said the measure would force the Legislature to be more deliberative in considering exemptions to what are known as sunshine laws, meaning anti-secrecy laws that promote open government.
"It won't make it impossible, but it will make it a little more difficult," Petersen said. "It's just raising the bar."