For a month the Tiger Bay Club of Tampa had publicly advertised its July 14th luncheon agenda and guest-speaker list. The political-junkie gathering at Maestro’s restaurant at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center would be hosting a follow-up to Mayor Pam Iorio’s June appearance. It would welcome City Council members Joseph Caetano, John Dingfelder, Charlie Miranda and Linda Saul-Sena.
As a result of a surprise, last-minute decision, however, only Saul-Sena showed. Disappointed luncheon attendees were told that a city legal opinion had voided the original plan. Seems that such council-member proximity might be a violation of the Florida Sunshine Law (Section 286.011). Saul-Sena, the longest serving member of council, was chosen to represent the Sunshine quartet. She diplomatically referenced the legal call as “an abundance of caution.”
C’mon. How about a modicum of common sense? The Sunshine Law is all about preventing back-room deals – whether well orchestrated, thinly disguised or utterly (“Funny meeting you here, but don’t forget to hold the line on merit raises – see you Thursday night.”) ad hoc. Tiger Bay guarantees plenty of sunshine. Even the media was there. Indeed, I was.
An “abundance of caution”? Why not direct council members not to carpool and to sit at separate tables?