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Chair says allegation of Sunshine Law violation by CAC members will be investigated
Summary
The TPO chair announced receipt of a written allegation that certain Citizens Advisory Committee members communicated about committee business outside a public meeting; the chair said the complaint will undergo legal review and will not be read into the public record now to preserve due process.
At the end of the Feb. 11 meeting the chair told board members the TPO had received a written allegation that "a couple of our members of the Citizens Advisory Council have violated the Sunshine Law by communicating committee business outside of a public meeting." The chair said he learned of the complaint on Monday, consulted with Executive Director Dr. Wong and board attorney Cameron Clark, and declined a request to read the complaint into the record at this meeting to protect legal rights and due process.
"It's not a good way to find out about the allegation when you're reading it out to 1,000,000 people," the chair said, explaining staff have not yet spoken with the accused and that the matter will be handled publicly once the board and legal counsel complete the required review. The chair said a fuller report is expected at the next meeting.
Why it matters: Allegations that public-board advisory members violated Florida's Sunshine Law raise procedural and legal questions about how committee business was handled. The chair emphasized the need for a careful legal process rather than immediate public disclosure of the complaint text.
Next steps: Staff and the board attorney will review the allegation and state-law requirements and prepare a report for the board and public at the next meeting; no determination or sanction was made at the Feb. 11 meeting.
