Florida’s broad open government laws require that citizens be informed about when public meetings are held but don’t guarantee that they’ll be able to give their two cents if they show up.

Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, has filed a measure again this year that would change that. He teed up the the bill (SB 50) on the Senate floor today, meaning it could get a vote as early as next week. A similar proposal is moving through the House.

Under Negron’s proposal, county commissions, state agencies or other commissions or boards would be able to set time limits on how long people can speak.

“It’s important that we have in our statutes that you can’t invite the public to something and then say thank you for being here but we don’t want to hear from you,” Negron said on the floor today.

The bill doesn’t have any penalties for commissions or boards that violate the law but give people the ability to get an injunction through the courts. While Negron’s bill would force local commissions, boards and state agencies to allow citizens to speak, it leaves the Legislature off the hook.

Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday announced a reshuffling of some staff positions as he heads into his second year in the executive office.

Carolyn Timmann, head of the governor’s open government office, is leaving with plans to run for circuit court clerk in Martin County, where she began her political career as an aide to former state Rep. Tom Warner, R-Stuart. Timmann is looking to succeed longtime Martin clerk Marsha Ewing, who announced plans not to seek her eighth term earlier this year.

 In the governor’s office, Timmann will be replaced by Bonnie Hazelton, who did open government work for the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.

Other changes: Tom Doughty will join the Executive Office of the Governor as Director of Information Technology, and Mike Dew and Julie Roberts have been promoted within the Governor’s Office of External Affairs.

Gov. Rick Scott has eased his public records policy after complaints from newspaper editors and public records advocates.

Scott announced Thursday he is lowering costs for some public records requests, a reversal of his policy charging the maximum allowable under state law for records that take more than 30 minutes to fulfill.

Scott’s new policy does away with any administrative costs for requests that take less than half an hour to process and imposes a reduced fee for those that take longer.

The changes came after a review by Scott, his legal staff and the governor’s new chief of staff, Steve MacNamara, Scott spokesman Brian Burgess said.

“There are going to be additional enhancements that further embrace Florida’s Sunshine Laws. We’re moving in that direction,” Burgess said.

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Gov. Rick Scott is hosting another of his “social” dinners with lawmakers at the governor’s mansion this evening.

But this time, he’s limiting the supper club to two House members to avoid getting the legislators into trouble for possible violations of the state’s broad Sunshine laws.

Florida’s open government laws require meetings with more than two lawmakers to be open to the public but there’s been a lot of debate within the Scott’s press office and the press corps about what exactly “open” means.

Scott’s dinner with three powerful GOP senators earlier this week may have violated the Senate’s rules regarding the constitutional requirements of open meetings.

Scott, who held a similar power dinner with House members previously, would not have broken any laws – they apply to lawmakers, not the governor. He’s restricted to opening the meetings if they involve the Senate President or House Speaker.

But to err on the side of caution, Scott’s dinner tonight will be limited to just two House members. His spokesman Brian Hughes wouldn’t say who they are.

Gov. Rick Scott, a few of his closest aides and three of the Senate’s most powerful lawmakers broke bread at the governor’s mansion last night, covering a variety of topics ranging from Ironman triathlons to Scott’s $65 billion budget. The dinner took place just a few hours after Scott released his first-ever budget to the public earlier in the day.

But questions about whether the dinner violated the spirit of Florida’s open government laws – if not the laws themselves – have Scott’s office reconsidering future soirees.

Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander and Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner and Sen. Don Gaetz – two probable future senate presidents – also discussed major league baseball and the use of psychotropic drugs on children at the hour-long dinner with Scott, his wife Ann, and Scott’s chief of staff Mike Prendergast, special advisor Mary Ann “Mac” Carter, special counsel Hayden Dempsey and communications director Brian Burgess. Two reporters also attended at Scott’s invitation.

The governor and Senate trio discussed in broad terms his request that lawmakers give him $800 million to attract new businesses to the state and help existing ones expand. Scott said he was told that the current process – requiring approval from a legislative committee before the economic development grants or tax credits can be spent – is too lengthy and has caused the state to lose some deals because other states swooped in.

Whether the lawmakers’ chat was a violation of state Sunshine Laws is unclear.

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Pat Gleason, the veritable font of all government in the sunshine knowledge, is going back to work at the attorney general’s’ office, this time for AG-elect Pam Bondi.

Gleason is currently serving as Gov. Charlie Crist’s special counsel in the Office of Open Government and has for years been the go-to lawyer on matters regarding Florida’s broad Sunshine laws.

“Pat is a leading authority in our state on open government and public records, and I am honored to have her join my administration,” Bondi said in a press release. “We have worked together for over a decade, and I have the highest respect for her work ethic, integrity and the transparency she brings to the government process.”

Gov.-elect Rick Scott is winding up three days of behind-closed-doors briefings from his nearly 200 transition team members to prepare for his move into the governor’s office on Jan. 4.

Scott’s meeting in private with his teams although First Amendment Foundation lawyers say the meetings should be open to the public.

Scott’s aides told Palm Beach Post reporter John Lantigua the meetings on the 12th floor of the Florida Atlantic University-Broward College Higher Education Complex were off-limits. He was advised to wait in the lobby to interview attendees inside the public building.

When Scott’s briefing from his economic development team ended, Lantigua caught some of the attendees on the 12th floor before being asked by a Scott aide to leave.

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Gov.-elect Rick Scott is meeting for the third and final day with his transition teams to get advice on how to revamp Florida government when he takes office on Jan. 4.

Although Scott set up a website for citizens to give him their suggestions for change, the meetings in downtown Fort Lauderdale are off-limits to the press and the public. One of Scott’s staff even advised transition team members in an e-mail message that they were not allowed to bring anyone with them inside the (public) building.

The Economic Development Team met at 9 a.m. today on the 12th floor of the Florida Atlantic University-Broward College Higher Education Complex.

A reporter was told the meeting was closed to the press, that the 12th floor was a “secure area,” and he was advised to wait in the lobby if he wanted to catch participants coming out of the meeting.

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