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Live Oak council debates pre-meeting workshops; attorney says Sunshine Law requires public notice
Summary
Councilmember Sessions proposed regular pre-meeting discussions or workshops to improve efficiency; the city attorney cautioned that any meeting of two or more council members discussing items that may come before the council must be publicly noticed under Florida’s Sunshine Law.
Councilmember Sessions proposed holding pre-meetings or workshops before regular City Council meetings so council members could discuss items in advance and make regular meetings run more smoothly.
Sessions said other municipalities use pre-meetings, consent agendas and committees to reduce repetition and speed deliberations. He asked whether a five-member pre-meeting would be permissible and what legal constraints applied.
The City Attorney advised that Florida’s Sunshine Law generally prohibits two or more council members from discussing items that may reasonably come before the council outside a publicly noticed meeting. The attorney said any workshop or pre-meeting with two or more council members would require public notice and an agenda, and that a workshop with a defined subject matter may not result in final action. The City Attorney recommended drafting an advertised agenda for any pre-meeting and confirmed that the public must be allowed to attend and comment.
Councilmembers recounted that the council previously used workshops and committees in 2014–2015 during a transition from a city administrator to a city manager. One councilmember said workshops at that time helped committees vet items before bringing recommendations to the full council. Council did not adopt a new meeting schedule at this session; a council member asked the City Attorney to research protocols and procedures for future consideration.
