Gov. Scott's Lake Shore Hosp Auth Has Public Dancing in the Dark, Again
Posted August 10, 2015 08:10 am
Jack Berry
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – With less than 9 hours before Gov. Scott's Lake Shore Hospital Authority meets for its August monthly meeting, Authority Manager Jackson P. "Jack" Berry and Chairperson Lorry Chancy have once again refused to post or have posted to the Authority website its agenda and any supporting material.
Lorry Chancy
Ever since Mr. Berry and the Lake Shore Hospital Authority were rebuffed by the state's 1st District DCA, and found in violation of the most basic requirements of the state's public records law, Mr. Berry and Chairperson Chancy have refused to post or have posted to the Authority's website its agenda and any supporting material.
The Requirement of the Florida Statutes:
Clear and Unambiguous
The requirements of the Florida statutes are clear and unambiguous and not difficult to understand:
An agenda shall be prepared by the agency in time to ensure that a copy of the agenda may be received at least 7 days before the event by any person in the state... The agenda, along with any meeting materials available in electronic form excluding confidential and exempt information, shall be published on the agency’s website...
Mr. Berry's Actions Subvert the Law
Recently, Manager Berry has posted a simple agenda after the conclusion of the meetings.
As the Observer has pointed out numerous times, Mr. Berry's failure to post this information and otherwise make it available is a clear violation of the intent and spirit of what is widely known as Senate Bill 50 (SB50), F.S. 286.0114, in which the legislature found "that a proper and legitimate state purpose is served when members of the public have been given a reasonable opportunity to be heard on a proposition before the board..." The law concludes: The Legislature determines and declares that this act fulfills an important state interest."
Epilogue
Not at Governor Scott's Lake Shore Hospital Authority.