May 25, 2021
West Florida Public Libraries Board of Governance met again in Century Monday, a month after a Sunshine Law violation.
During the meeting a the Century Branch Library,b oard members received a little refresher on the Sunshine Law – Florida’s open meeting laws – from an assistant attorney from the Escambia County Attorney’s Office.
In April, the county self reported a Sunshine Law violation to the State Attorney’s Office after an advertising blunder left the library board meeting in Century without proper public notice. The State Attorney’s office decided the violation was unintentional and accidental.
The April meeting was advertised for the Main Library downtown, not Century. Florida’s Sunshine Law requires that adequate public notice be given for public meetings, including time and the correct location. When NorthEscambia.com notified the board of the discrepancy in the legal notice, the board continued the meeting for a short period of time. And that