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A little more ‘Sunshine’ may come from Jacksonville City Council alleged restaurant and off-site meetings

by Kay Day

framed-corrigancitycouncilchair.jpgFlorida Times-Union investigative reporter Beth Kormanik studied 18 months of calendars, meeting notices and minutes issued by the Jacksonville City Council. Apparently council members gathered at a number of restaurants like Woody’s Bar.B.Q., and also at bars like The Twisted Martini. The public wasn’t invited to wine or dine at these events, and if official council business was discussed, a violation of the Sunshine Law may have occurred.

On Friday, popular Times-Union columnist Mark Woods penned humorous commentary about these off-site gatherings.

State Attorney Harry Shorstein has presented the Duval County grand jury with some information about potential infringement of the law by council members. Shorstein told the Times-Union it may take “about a month” for the jury panel to decide whether further action is warranted.

The paper says council President Michael Corrigan (shown in photo above) introduced an ordinance this week to ensure compliance with the law.

Florida has had a “Sunshine Law” in some form or another since 1909 with the passage of the Public Records Law. At the present time, the City Council Web site has an expansive collection of information available.

Hopefully, the Grand Jury will a close look at what Kormanik found. Rules for conducting the city’s business in an open and public manner are non-negotiable. (text by Kay B. Day; Corrigan photo from City of Jacksonville Web site)

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Posted in General, News, Politics on June 15th, 2007

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About Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville is the largest city in land mass in the contiguous United States, according to the Chamber of Commerce. Try driving here and you'll see why.Jax, as locals call it, has a river that flows backwards (The St. John's), the Jacksonville Jaguars, and a unique food item called "fried dilled pickles." The city has an abundance of poets who get zero attention from the status quo, and an abundance of landscape artists who get lots of attention from same. We'll bring you news about all these matters, and commentary on politics, education, culture, arts and health care as well. When there's an important event, we'll let you know in advance. Jax is also one of the most popular re-lo cities in the nation. Watch for an upcoming re-lo guide and more! If you've got a story tip, leave it in "Comments" or email us. We want you to be part of this exciting new home for The River City on the Web.

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