The Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 2 adopted an amended resolution on public speaking rules that requires a designated representative for a group to identify that group and state the issues the representative will address.

County Attorney Adam Morrison told the board he circulated an amended resolution to correct an erroneous citation in the packet and to revise paragraph 3 to reflect Florida law. Morrison said the change he circulated accurately reflects Florida Statute 286.0114, which requires local boards to give members of the public a reasonable opportunity to be heard while allowing the board to adopt content-neutral rules on comment time.

Chairman (unnamed) and other commissioners framed the amendment as a procedural clarification intended to help run meetings efficiently: under the adopted language, a person claiming the 7-minute group allotment must identify the group and the members present and indicate the issues on which they will speak. Commissioners discussed and agreed to remove language that could be read to limit a group to a single topic; instead the representative should list the issues they will address during their podium time.

Commissioner White made a motion to approve the resolution as amended; Commissioner Perkins seconded. The board approved the amendment 5–0. Commissioners stressed the rule is intended to avoid repetitive public comments and to let meetings proceed without curtailing individuals’ rights to speak.

Morrison and staff noted the revision aligns the resolution with state statute and redirected the board away from the older legal citation that had appeared in the original packet.

The adopted change will be incorporated into the county’s meeting procedures and affect how group representatives claim extended time during public comment.