Florida Senate - 2021                              CS for SB 972
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability;
       and Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       585-03337-21                                           2021972c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to administrative entity
    3         telecommunication meetings; amending s. 163.01, F.S.;
    4         authorizing certain legal or administrative entities
    5         to conduct public meetings and workshops by means of
    6         communications media technology; revising criteria
    7         under which legal entities may conduct public meetings
    8         and workshops; providing applicability; revising
    9         requirements for notices of such meetings and
   10         workshops conducted through the use of communications
   11         media technology; providing an effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Subsection (18) of section 163.01, Florida
   16  Statutes, is amended to read:
   17         163.01 Florida Interlocal Cooperation Act of 1969.—
   18         (18) Any separate legal or administrative entity created
   19  under subsection (7) which has member public agencies located in
   20  at least five counties, of which at least three are not
   21  contiguous, or which has member public agencies located in four
   22  contiguous counties, may conduct public meetings and workshops
   23  by means of communications media technology. Section 286.0114
   24  applies to public meetings and workshops conducted by means of
   25  communications media technology. The notice for any such public
   26  meeting or workshop shall state that the meeting or workshop
   27  will be conducted through the use of communications media
   28  technology; specify how persons interested in attending and
   29  providing comment to the legal or administrative entity during
   30  the meeting may do so; and provide a location where
   31  communications media technology facilities are available. The
   32  participation by an officer, board member, or other
   33  representative of a member public agency in a meeting or
   34  workshop conducted through communications media technology
   35  constitutes that individual’s presence at such meeting or
   36  workshop. As used in this subsection, the term “communications
   37  media technology” means conference telephone, video conference,
   38  or other communications technology by which all persons
   39  attending a public meeting or workshop may audibly communicate.
   40         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.