Florida

Sunshine Law

Formally: Florida Government in the Sunshine Law

Fla. Stat. § 286.011

Read the statute →

Sunshine Score: 47/100 (moderate)
47/100

Sunshine Score

47/100
Weak
Methodology v0.1
Advance Notice 7 days
Public Comment Not required
Closed Sessions 2 permitted categories
Minutes Required
Recording Not required
Remote Participation Not allowed
Enforcement Voidable, legislature included

Agenda & Notice Requirements

Regular Meetings
7 days

Online posting: Not required

Reasonable notice of meetings required; no specific number of days mandated by statute; agendas are not required by the Sunshine Law but are common practice

Agenda changes at meeting: Allowed — majority vote

Public Participation

Public Comment
Not required
Written Comment
Not allowed

Fla. Stat. § 286.011 does not require public agencies to allow public comment at open meetings. Bodies have full discretion to allow or limit comment. Local governments commonly permit public comment by local policy or charter, but no floor is established by the Government in the Sunshine Law itself.

Virtual Meetings

Member Remote Participation
Not allowed
Counts Toward Quorum
No
Public Remote Comment
Not allowed

Fla. Stat. § 286.011 (Sunshine Law) requires physical presence for quorum; no general post-COVID statutory authorization for remote member participation by local government bodies. Some specialized entities (community associations) have separate statutory exceptions.

Closed Sessions

Closed (executive) sessions: Allowed under specific circumstances

Permitted Categories

Meeting Minutes

Minutes Required
Yes

Online posting: Not required

Content requirements: date, time, place, all votes taken and by whom, all actions taken (Fla. Stat. § 286.011(2))

Recording & Broadcast

Recording Required
No
Broadcast Required
No
Retention Period
3 years

Enforcement

Violation Effect
Voidable
Max Civil Penalty
$500
Standing to Sue
Any person, state attorney
Enforcement Body
Circuit Court, State Attorney

Scope

This law applies to:

  • City
  • County
  • School District
  • Special District

Legislature: Covered by this law

Accessibility & Language Access

ADA accessibility: ADA Title II applies to all public meetings. The state statute does not add requirements beyond federal law; reasonable accommodations must be provided on request.

Language access: No statutory language-access mandate beyond federal Civil Rights Act Title VI obligations for recipients of federal funds.

Sources & References

Notes

Florida Sunshine Law has very limited closed session exceptions compared to most states; most business must be conducted in open session. | minutes_publication_days: NULL — F.S. §286.011(2) requires that minutes 'shall be promptly recorded' but specifies no deadline in days.

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The specific rules for Florida may differ from this general description. Consult the full statute for details.