Sarasota planning board receives training on ethics, Sunshine Law and quasi-judicial rules

Consulting attorney Randy Mora gave a two-hour training to the City of Sarasota Planning Board on how members should conduct themselves under Florida law, emphasizing ethics, open-meeting rules and the difference between legislative and quasi-judicial proceedings.

Mora opened by framing public office as a "public trust," said local officials must avoid substantial conflicts under Chapter 112 of the Florida Statutes, and described the planning boardas a five-member advisory body with three-year terms that the city commission appoints. "When you're doing that, you're not just doing it for number one," Mora said, adding that board members must subordinate personal interests to the public trust.

The presentation then turned to the Sunshine Law and public meetings. Mora cited Article I, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 286 of the Florida Statutes as the foundation for open meetings and said the basic statutory requirements are reasonable notice, an accessible…