Dunedin staff get commission consensus to disable comments on city social media

The Dunedin City Commission on May 5 gave staff consensus direction to disable public comments on the city’s social‑media accounts, after an extended workshop discussion on the harms and limits of platform‑based engagement.

City Manager Jennifer Bramley told commissioners staff sought direction to “disable comment on our social media platforms,” saying comment threads had become a source of misinformation and a drain on staff time rather than a constructive engagement channel. Communications staff presented legal research and implementation details and recommended an administrative policy to remove in‑post commenting while keeping posts and shares enabled.

“Recent national data and research indicates that social media is no longer an engagement tool,” Communications staff member Sue Bartlett told the commission, explaining the legal view that the city’s accounts are used for public information and are not a public forum. She said other Florida cities and school districts that have disabled comments initially saw pushback but later an uptick in civic actions such as meeting attendance.

Commissioners pressed staff on alternatives and operational details. Bartlett showed a newly added “Contact Commission” tab on the city website, described the city’s e‑comment tool (comments on posted agenda items become part of the public record), and said staff would promote town halls, surveys and the city’s Denita News as primary channels for public input.

Several commissioners described recent social‑media threads as distracting or harmful to the city’s ability to get timely emergency and service information to residents. “I have no sympathy for the Facebook or social‑media world that allows asymmetrical communication,” Commissioner Degard said, calling the platforms commercially structured to reward conflict and amplify fringe users.

A member of the public, Howard Gray, told the commission he supported the change and said he relies on official web and email channels for detailed information.

Staff said the new administrative policy would be posted publicly, that account administrators would continue to monitor social channels for misinformation, and that messages would continue to be published and shared (posts remain sharable). City managers said they are prepared to implement the change the same day the commission gave consensus.

The commission offered no formal vote at the workshop, but commissioners instructed staff to proceed with the policy, apply it uniformly across city‑managed platforms (including the fire department page), and publish guidance explaining where and how residents should send questions or comments.