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Camera ready to roll for meetings
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer BROOKSVILLE -- When the Hernando County Development Review Committee gathers Thursday, the public still won't be allowed inside. But, for the first time, a government video camera will. As soon as the meeting ends, residents will be able to view what happened inside by asking to see the videotape. It will not be aired on Channel 19, the government cable access channel, unless the demand is high, said Rick Foti, video production manager. Previously, the county had only made audiotapes of these sessions. Development director Grant Tolbert said the requests to listen were few. He suggested that the videotapes offer "a good opportunity to make it clearer to the public what happens in the DRC. ... I think most people will find it pretty boring." But to the residents who fought unsuccessfully last week to open the DRC, the decision to videotape fails miserably. "What it does is, it puts people in the position of being reactive instead of proactive," said Arlene Erdrich, founder of Coalition for Anti-Urban Sprawl Efforts, or CAUSE. "Proactive would be if there was the opportunity to ask questions and have a dialogue at the time. ... Even if they were to put it on Channel 19, unless it's interactive, you're not able to do anything about it." CAUSE has hired Ralf Brookes, a Fort Myers land use and environmental lawyer, for advice on how to unseal the development review process. He recently waged and won a similar effort in Charlotte County. Brookes argued that televising meetings, though a step forward, accomplishes little. "You can't get up and speak to the television set. The public has a right to speak as well as attend and watch," he said. "Certainly, Fidel Castro could televise all of his meetings for all the public to see, but that doesn't make it an open, democratic society." The County Commission has delegated to this staff committee the authority to advise the building official whether to issue permits, Brookes contended. He argued that the state's open meetings laws require public meetings of staff when the staff has such authority. "We don't want developers getting projects approved behind closed doors," Brookes said. "These closed-door meetings lend themselves to abuse." Senior Assistant County Attorney Kent Weissinger said Hernando County's Development Review Committee reviews facts, but does not make decisions. Because of that distinction, he said, the committee meetings do not come under the state's Sunshine Law provisions. He saw no legal problem in making videotapes of the meetings and releasing them under the state law. Commissioners supported the idea to show what occurs inside the DRC. "I think it's a really good idea to have it televised, because people can see for themselves," Commissioner Diane Rowden said. "Hopefully, this will solve some of the mystery." They remained wary of opening the meetings to the public, though. "I've had three attorneys tell me so far that it's not" subject to the Sunshine Law, Commissioner Chris Kingsley said. "If they sue and win, then we'll make it open." Meanwhile, Chairwoman Nancy Robinson said, the commission has moved to set up a committee to look for better ways to have public input into development issues. "It may be that the subject requires more study before the board takes the next step," Robinson said. Brookes suggested that the commission should, as part of its upcoming comprehensive plan review, put itself back into the development loop on major projects. That way, he said, the public would have easier access to the officials who render final decisions on growth matters. Commissioner Betty Whitehouse said she believed development review is an "end function," and therefore supported any idea to get public input as early in the process as possible. "That's why I've been pressing for some time that we look at what we're doing with the comprehensive plan and with planning in general," Whitehouse said. The comp plan update must be completed by 2004. County planners are preparing ways to gather public comments. -- Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Hernando County government and can be reached at 754-6115. Send e-mail to solochek@sptimes.com.
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From today's Hernando Times |
