Florida Senate - 2022                                     SB 690
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       39-00926-22                                            2022690__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to resilience-related advisory
    3         committees; amending s. 286.011, F.S.; authorizing
    4         specified resilience-related advisory committees to
    5         conduct public meetings and workshops by means of
    6         communications media technology; providing that use of
    7         such technology by a committee member constitutes that
    8         member’s presence at such meeting or workshop;
    9         requiring that such technology allow the public to
   10         audibly communicate; providing notice requirements for
   11         public meetings or workshops conducted by means of
   12         communications media technology; providing
   13         construction; providing an effective date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Subsection (9) is added to section 286.011,
   18  Florida Statutes, to read:
   19         286.011 Public meetings and records; public inspection;
   20  criminal and civil penalties.—
   21         (9)(a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary,
   22  resilience-related advisory committees whose membership is
   23  composed solely of representatives of four or more counties,
   24  when there is at least 200 miles of geographic distance between
   25  the county seats of the two most distant counties, may conduct
   26  public meetings and workshops by means of communications media
   27  technology as defined in s. 120.54(5)(b)2. An advisory committee
   28  member who participates in a meeting or workshop by means of
   29  communications media technology is deemed to be present at such
   30  meeting or workshop. For the purpose of this paragraph, the
   31  communications media technology must allow for all persons
   32  attending such public meeting or workshop to audibly
   33  communicate, as would be allowed if they were physically
   34  present.
   35         (b) The notice for such a meeting or workshop must state
   36  whether it will be conducted using communications media
   37  technology, how an interested person may participate, and the
   38  locations of any facilities where communications media
   39  technology will be available.
   40         (c) Any other laws applicable to public meetings or
   41  workshops conducted by means of communications media technology
   42  must be liberally construed in their application to meetings and
   43  workshops conducted as provided in this subsection.
   44         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.