Jim Rosica
Job searches for the top officials of the state’s public universities would be shrouded in secrecy under a bill passed Wednesday by the Florida House.
House members OK’d the measure (HB 351) 103-11.
But its reception in the Senate is unclear: With less than two weeks left in session, a companion bill (SB 478) has not had a hearing.
The legislation would maintain the privacy of candidates who apply for positions of “president, vice president, provost, or dean of a state university or Florida College System institution.”
The bill makes their identifying information “confidential and exempt,” the highest level of secrecy under the state’s public records law.
It also would close meetings for “identifying or vetting” of candidates. Lists of finalists, however, would be public.
“Many, if not most, applicants for such a position are currently employed at another job at the time they apply and could jeopardize their current positions if it were to become known that they were seeking employment elsewhere,” the bill’s legislative intent section says.
One comment
Larry Gillis (Cape Coral)
April 26, 2017 at 5:38 pm
That bip-bip-bip sound you hear in the background is the Sunshine Amendment being ground into hamburger by the Good-Ol-Boys-Network in Tallahassee. With Florida’s tawdry political past, we have no choice but to insist that EVERYTHING be out in the daylight, where we can keep an eye on things. That is why the Amendment was approved in the first place. I am discouraged by the slow and ongoing death of the newspaper industry, because when they die, the “Tallyrands of Tallahassee” will get completely out of control. The underlying dynamic, where Tallahasse completely ignores even the State Constitution itself, is dangerous to us all. Both major parties are in on this hustle. So, vote Libertarian. See: http://www.LPF.org
Comments are closed.