Florida Lobbyists Operate in the Shadows

From Florida, the state known for its “Sunshine” Freedom of Information laws, an investigation of special governmental districts that allow lobbyists to influence decisions, without any public disclosure. Dan Christensen of BrowardBulldog.org reports there are hundreds of districts responsible for billions of dollars in government spending each year that allow lobbyists to operate in the shadows. The districts have control over airports, public hospitals, water management, and other specialized functions. An excerpt: “There are 992 active independent special districts, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s special districts database. They outnumber Florida’s counties, cities, towns and villages better than two to one yet operate largely in the shadows of their better-known municipal counterparts.”