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Board reviews counsel guidance on 'Coffee with Candidates' over Sunshine Law concerns
Summary
District Counsel advised incumbents to ensure election-code compliance and suggested separate seat-specific events to avoid potential Sunshine Law violations; the Board discussed the differing opinions of HPCA counsel and whether some questions belong to the Florida Election Commission.
Board members discussed District Counsel’s written response regarding a proposed "Coffee with Candidates" event, focusing on potential conflicts with Florida’s open-meetings and election rules. Vice Chair Arthur Rhodes said "our guy" would not attend under the interpretation that the event could violate campaign and Sunshine rules.
Chair Kathleen Lonergan read District Counsel’s guidance into the record: "If any incumbent Supervisor is interested in participating they will need to ensure compliance with the election code and I think it would be a fair request for them to ask them to arrange separate events per seat to avoid any potential Sunshine Law violations." Board members noted the HPCA attorney’s opinion differed in parts from District Counsel’s view, and several comments suggested that some of Arthur Rhodes’s questions might be better addressed by the Florida Election Commission, which enforces complaints rather than providing advisory opinions.
No formal action was taken; the Board discussed possible approaches, including holding separate candidate events per seat or asking incumbents to avoid participating in joint events to minimize risk of Sunshine Law concerns.
