At the workshop, City Attorney Lehi reviewed Florida’s Sunshine Law and advised commissioners to avoid private communications on matters likely to come before the governing body.

Lehi said the law ‘‘provides a right of access to governmental proceedings’’ and that ‘‘any meeting . . . at which official acts are to be taken are declared to be public meetings, open to the public at all times.’’ She explained that the rule covers two or more members of the same board conducting discussions about matters where foreseeable action will be taken, and that communications may include phone calls, email, text or social media.

Lehi urged commissioners not to ‘‘post position statements on issues that may come before the commission’’ and recommended routing substantive inquiries through the city manager to avoid unintended Sunshine Law violations. She also noted that advisory boards and subcommittees are generally subject to sunshine requirements when two or more members discuss matters that will foreseeably come to the commission.

A lengthy discussion followed about the city’s current email practice. Staff currently monitors a commission inbox (commission@...) and forwards items to commissioners. Some commissioners said they preferred direct, individual city emails to appear on the website so constituents could contact them immediately; others expressed concern about public‑records obligations and staff workload. Commissioners asked staff and IT to propose a practical system that ensures timely delivery of emails to commissioners while preserving staff’s ability to manage records and respond to public‑records requests.

No formal vote or policy change occurred; commissioners directed staff and IT to meet and draft a recommended email routing plan for the commission to consider at a future meeting.