County attorney briefs committee on Sunshine Law and public‑records obligations

Julia Mayadell, senior assistant county attorney, told the Hillsborough County liaison committee that the group must follow Florida’s Sunshine Law and the state public‑records statute. Lede: Mayadell said, “As a governmental board, as a public board, you are subject to the sunshine law,” and she summarized the basic legal duties: meetings must be open to the public, reasonable advance notice is required, and minutes must be kept. Why it matters: The committee will be handling information collection and discussions tied to a high-profile state review. Legal missteps can create disclosure obligations, procedural challenges and, in extreme cases, civil or criminal penalties. Key guidance given to members: - Open meetings and notice: Meetings should be physically accessible to the public; staff will post meeting notices and prepare minutes. Public comment must be allowed before any formal action. - Quorum and in‑person requirement: For this committee a physical quorum of three members is required for formal action; members participating by phone do not count toward that quorum for voting purposes. - Electronic communications: Mayadell warned that back-and-forth e‑mail or text exchanges about matters reasonably likely to come before the committee can trigger Sunshine Law coverage. Her practical advice: route substantive documents and memos through staff rather than using group replies, avoid “reply all,” and consider blind-copying members to avoid inadvertent group discussions. - Public‑records obligations: Records are broadly defined to include emails, texts, social-media messages and documents created in connection with official business, and must be retained and made available unless an exemption applies. She recommended that members avoid substantive text-message threads; if a text thread becomes substantive, take a screenshot and submit it to staff for archiving. - Transitory material and notes to self: Mayadell explained that brief logistical messages (for example, “I’ll be at the meeting”) are typically transitory and not part of the permanent record, and private notes to oneself are not required to be produced unless shared. She also reminded the committee that certain exemptions (for example, attorney‑client or closed litigation sessions) exist but are unlikely to apply to this group’s work; she offered to advise if a need for a closed session arises. Mayadell noted that while criminal and civil penalties exist for Sunshine Law violations, inadvertent violations can often be cured through corrective steps and staff assistance. Members asked practical questions about email addresses, archiving, and whether the county would provide a board-specific email; Mayadell and staff advised that members may use business or personal addresses but that creating a separate address for committee business can simplify records management. Staff said they would place documents in a shared SharePoint location for the committee to view and for record retention.