Senate panel OKs public-records bill

A bill that open government advocates say will place a “chilling effect” on citizens and media outlets attempting to get public records narrowly moved through a Senate panel Tuesday. SB 80 would require publicrecords requests to be submitted in writing five days before filing a lawsuit and leave it up to a judge to decide whether to award attorneys’ fees. It passed the Senate Government Oversight and Accountability Committee on a 4-3 party-line vote, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, said he wants to target lawyers who file records requests against small local governments and nonprofits with government contracts, then “shaking down” the groups for payments to avoid a lawsuit. But Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation, said the bill would give lawyers less incentive to pursue public-records litigation.