Transparency Report Reveals Sunshine State is Living Up to its Name

Virtually all public officials say they believe in government transparency, but well-meaning words don’t always translate into effective government action.

So, several years ago, the national Sunshine Review (SR) began regularly assessing some 5,000 state and local government websites, using a “Ten-Point Transparency Checklist” to measure how well government officials are using the internet for “proactive disclosure” of information (rather than merely responding to citizens’ requests).

SR’s latest transparency grades show that the Florida is living up to its “Sunshine State” nickname. Consider:

• The number of local government web sites in Florida earning an A grade from the Sunshine Review more than doubled (from 10 to 22) during the last year, and the Sunshine State once again had more top scores than any other state.
• Of the 22 Florida jurisdictions receiving an A from the Sunshine Review, 12 earned a perfect score and one (Miami) became the first Florida city to receive a “Sunny Award” for transparency excellence.
• Overall, the Sunshine State received a cumulative transparency grade of B. Among other things, Florida’s cumulative grade was held down by a high number of “problem sites” (those earning a transparency grade of D or F), which declined only modestly, from 51 to 46, during the last year.
• Failing to provide citizens good information about how to access government audits and about how to access public records were the most common transparency problems.

Sunshine Review’s latest grades show that Florida continues to be a national leader in government transparency, and that its citizens have reason to be pleased with the priority that Florida officials are giving to the proactive disclosure of government information. At the same time, the Sunshine State still has much room for improvement – especially in certain pockets of the state where transparency has yet to become the priority it needs to be.

William Mattox is a resident fellow at The James Madison Institute in Tallahassee, Florida.