As we mark the 20th anniversary of Sunshine Week (March 16-22, 2025), which was born in Florida, David Cuillier, Brechner FOI Project’s director, highlights the troubling shift in the state’s approach to government transparency in a column for The Conversation.

Started as Sunshine Sunday back in 2002, Cuillier notes that despite the state’s legacy as a shining example of open government, Florida’s commitment to open records and public meetings is increasingly under threat.  

Florida’s Sunshine Law, passed in 1967, made the state a leader in public access to government records. Cuillier, who has researched and taught about freedom of information for over 30 years, points out that the law helped Florida gain its reputation as the most transparent state in the United States.

However, his research shows a different story today. The rise of exemptions to the Sunshine Law—over 1,100 to date—has eroded public access, and with fewer reporters pushing for transparency, government secrecy has flourished. 

Emphasizing that these challenges aren’t unique to Florida, Cuillier notes that transparency across the country is declining as compliance with open records laws falls to an all-time low.
He warns that when citizens are denied access to government information, checks and balances suffers, ultimately impacting public safety, government efficiency, and accountability. 

His solution: step up and demand more transparency before it’s too late.

You can read columns like Cuillier’s and others for Sunshine Week here.  

Posted: March 14, 2025
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner FOI Project, Brechner Freedom of Information Project, FOI, open records laws, Sunshine Week