Tallahassee commission adopts 30‑minute limit for unagenda public comments amid protests over ICE agreement

Mayor John e Daley and a majority of the City Commission voted on Feb. 18 to limit ‘‘unagenda’’ public comment to 30 minutes at the end of regular meetings, a move proponents said would restore decorum and opponents said will silence civic participation.

The measure, proposed by Mayor John e Daley during agenda modifications and seconded by the mayor pro tem, passed 3‑2 over objections from Commissioner Porter and Commissioner Matlow, who argued the change would deny many residents — including those who cannot attend frequently scheduled meetings — the opportunity to speak. Mayor Daley cited city policy language that allows the chair to manage large numbers of speakers and to ask groups to designate a representative.

Opponents said the new limit came without adequate public input and highlighted a larger policy fight over the city’s partnership with federal immigration enforcement. ‘‘Families belong together,’’ Commissioner Porter said during commission time when restating his opposition to the city’s 287(g) agreement. Dozens of residents used the public comment period to urge the commission to rescind that agreement and to restore broader unagenda public comment. Activists handed staff a petition they said contained nearly 1,000 signatures asking for revocation of the 287(g) agreement.

Public speakers framed the time‑limit vote in broader terms. ‘‘We are not going to stop saying no to 287(g),’’ community organizer Justin Jordan told the commission; multiple speakers described fear among immigrant neighbors and called the agreement ‘‘a culture of violence.’’ City staff and some commissioners defended the change as an attempt to balance access with the need to run meetings orderly and efficiently.

The commission also voted unanimously later in the meeting to waive policy so seven additional speakers could be heard that night; several commissioners said they would schedule follow‑up discussions about the practice and public input opportunities.

What’s next: Commissioners split on whether to revisit the underlying public‑comment policy as an agenda item. Commissioner Porter proposed bringing the issue back so the public can weigh in; that motion failed on a 3‑2 vote. The petition and repeated public demands for rescission of the 287(g) agreement indicate the issue will remain a topic for future meetings.