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Heritage Pines CDD directs legal review after concerns about candidate 'coffee' event
Summary
The Heritage Pines Community Development District directed its District Manager and District Counsel to review an HPCA-scheduled "Coffee With Candidates" event and potential Florida Sunshine Law implications after Vice Chair Arthur Rhodes raised concerns about staff involvement and candidate materials.
The Heritage Pines Community Development District board on Sept. 17, 2024 unanimously directed the District Manager to review the role of outside candidates in an HPCA‑organized "Coffee With Candidates" event and asked District Counsel to provide a legal opinion on whether the event could violate Florida's Sunshine Law.
Vice Chair Arthur Rhodes questioned who instructed HPCA staff to schedule the Oct. 9 event and said the presence of multiple CDD board members at such an event "could result in a violation of the Florida Sunshine Law," noting that candidate materials attached to the event included résumés and bios for Mr. Steele, Mr. Putman and Mr. Kleeman. Rhodes moved that the District Manager and counsel investigate; the motion carried with all in favor.
HPCA General Manager Herb Hurley told the board that the candidates requested the event so they could be known to residents and that board members were advised not to attend because of Sunshine Law constraints. Chuck Adams, the District Manager, said he will ask District Counsel to prepare a memorandum and reminded board members not to reply to the scheduling email.
The board's directive requires staff and counsel to report back with findings; no legal opinion was delivered at the Sept. 17 meeting. The motion was recorded in the minutes and Mr. Rhodes asked that his full presentation on the issue be included in the meeting record.
