Residents push back after council shortens comment time and a mayor’s photo of a records request draws scrutiny
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Summary
At a packed Orange City Council meeting, residents criticized a late agenda, a reduction in public-comment time and alleged that the mayor photographed a public-records request placed online; council members defended decorum while promising to review procedures.
Orange City residents packed City Hall and spent much of the evening pressing the council over changes to how the public can participate in meetings.
At the start of public comment, Leah Brooks of West French Avenue said the notice window left people little time to prepare. “How are people supposed to prepare for agenda items if they're only given 12 hours notice?” she said, adding that cutting citizen speaking time from three minutes to two was a “33% reduction” that would limit public participation.
Multiple other speakers amplified the concern, saying reclassifying a regular meeting as a “special meeting” reduces opportunities for comment and could chill community input. Christie Gonzales and Carrie Donaway argued the changes risk running afoul of Florida’s Sunshine Law and asked the council to reconsider.
A separate cluster of public comments focused on whether Mayor Marks handled a public-records request properly. Sharon Stafford said the mayor photographed a public-records form, posted it on social media and, in doing so, may have exposed private information and bypassed the city’s records process. “This action … appears to have violated the process,” Stafford said, urging council members to follow due process and allow people an opportunity to respond before public statements.
Council members said they heard the concerns and emphasized the need to balance public participation with the orderly conduct of city business. In closing remarks, Councilmember Knight and others said residents told them they felt intimidated at meetings and urged the council to review tone and procedure. Mayor Marks said the intent of recent procedural reviews is not to silence speakers but to keep meetings productive and finish agenda business.
No ordinance or new rule was adopted during the meeting to change public-comment rules; council members agreed to revisit council rules and consider community concerns before moving forward with formal changes.
What’s next: Councilmembers proposed further discussion of the rules at a future meeting and staff said they would provide guidance on public-records procedures and the Sunshine Law.
