I was racking my brain the other day trying to figure out what priorities Hillsborough County should advance in its next legislative session. Then the county commissioners beat me to the ground. “Let’s increase government secrets.”
The Hillsborough County Commission last week unanimously approved the legislative agenda for the 2025 session, which begins March 4. As before, the wish list includes the usual things, from expensive road and sewer projects to measures to uphold national rules. As a guiding document, the agenda is mundane, barebones, and fairly predictable. But Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda added an odd priority: “I support legislation to repeal the Sunshine Law for County Commissioners.”
That’s a scary thought.
As the name suggests, Florida’s Sunshine Law seeks to promote good government by providing for the release of public records and meetings. The law applies to “any board or commission” at the state or local level, whether elected or appointed. Agencies should provide a variety of documents upon request, from notes and budgets to photos and emails. Meetings must be advertised in advance and open to the public, and board members may not discuss official business in private.
Congress has exempted some records and meetings under the law, but those exemptions are (in most cases) tightly tailored. In general, government business is open to the governed. That’s how it should be, and it’s been more or less that way in Florida for 116 years.
No one knows why Cameron Cepeda would want to close the door on the public. She didn’t return my detailed messages. Perhaps she has already accepted this secretive business. Cameron Cepeda, elected in 2022, doesn’t have much of an agenda. Most Wednesdays, she sits at the podium like a potted plant, breaking out of her trance only to endorse something that comes out of the mouth of fellow Republican Commissioner Joshua Worstal. You could also remove her seat and give Wostal two votes and not notice a difference. Taxpayers would save a bundle.
That’s why it’s strange that Cameron Cepeda would choose such an unappealing and monumental match. After all, Florida has had one of the most open governments in the country since 1909. The state’s early public records laws were strengthened over the decades as courts consistently upheld the public’s right to access government records and meetings. In 1992, Florida voters approved an 83% amendment to enshrine open government in the state’s constitution, making it the first state to grant this right by constitutional order. This law is extremely popular and widely used, and is a powerful antidote to fraud, waste, and public corruption.
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In my 30 years covering Hillsboro, I have covered everyone from Republicans Ken Hagan (sports), Joe Chirula (parks), and Mark Sharp (employment development) to Democrat Phyllis Busanski (health care). I’ve seen county commissioners from both parties advocate for a variety of things. , Jan Pratt (Library) and Ed Turanczyk (Transportation). Other committee members have championed agriculture, tax cuts, civil rights and seniors. A few years ago, a few commissioners even went so far as to promote prejudice. But no one fought behind closed doors to take away the public’s business.
County commissioners may want to reconsider their vote. By including Cameron Cepeda’s proposal on the legislative agenda, it appears as if the other six commissioners share her priority of repealing the Sunshine Act. No one affiliated with the county or paid with public funds should be involved in selling such a horrible idea.
And in an open mind, share your thoughts with Cameron Cepeda. Her office can be reached at (813) 272-5725. Better yet, email her at CameronD@hillsboroughcounty.org. It will become a public record.
