One Sunshine Bill Takes Aim Squarely At McCollum

From FDP:

Of the more than 100 bills affecting public records and meetings swirling around the current legislative session, one sponsored by State Senator Paula Dockery would limit government agencies' ability to charge the public for redacting confidential information from the records, something previously attempted by her gubernatorial primary opponent Bill McCollum.

"Will Bill McCollum support this new legislation to prevent the obstruction of open records requests despite his previous position of charging hundreds of dollars for copies of his schedule? Will McCollum choose Sunshine or politics as usual?" Florida Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff asked.

The legislation in question would also limit the agencies' ability to charge the public for redacting confidential information from the records.

Last year, it was suggested that McCollum was "stonewalling" on releasing his public schedule after his office said they would charge reporters $770, and claimed the request "would take at least a week to purge secret information before the file could be viewed." [Editorial, Palm Beach Post, 06/30/09 and Palm Beach Post, 6/26/09]

Will Bill McCollum take a position on the Sunshine legislation sponsored by Dockery?

BACKGROUND:

McCollum First Tried to Charge A "Hefty Fee" To View His Schedule. "Viewing McCollum's complete schedule since he took office in January 2007 would cost $770, including a down payment of $500, McCollum's staff initially said this week in response to a public records request for the schedule. The staff also said it would take at least a week to purge secret information before the file could be viewed. Asked why the office that oversees the state's Sunshine Laws imposes such a hefty fee for records that are in the public domain, spokeswoman Ryan Wiggins said: 'For security reasons.'" [Palm Beach Post, 06/26/09]

Palm Beach Post: "Sounds More Like Stonewalling" From "The Guy Who Is In Charge Of Seeing That Public Officials Comply With Florida's Open Records Law." "One big difference between Ms. Sink and Mr. McCollum ... is that when The Post requested copies of her official calendars since she took office in January 2007, Ms. Sink responded within an hour - completely and at no charge. Mr. McCollum's office told The Post that it would take at least a week to provide the information about his schedule from the beginning of 2007, and that it would cost $770. This from the guy who is in charge of seeing that public officials comply with Florida's open records laws. ... Why would it cost so much and take so long to get Mr. McCollum's complete schedule? 'For security reasons,' a spokesman said. That sounds more like stonewalling." [Editorial, Palm Beach Post, 06/30/09]