How do local legislators fare in the sunshine?

It’s no secret that the Sunshine State has one of the most open governments in the country.

But do its legislators hold that duty to a high esteem, steadfastly voting to keep all aspects of their government in the sun? It’s a little shady.

In a thorough analysis called the “Sunshine Scorecard” generated by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editor’s Public Records Committee and led by the Palm Beach Post editor Nick Moschella, the voting records of Florida representatives and senators were graded based on if they voted for or against a bill that would help or hinder access to public records.

Legislators received three points if they voted on a bill in favor of open government and lost three points if they voted against. If they co-sponsored or sponsored legislation, seven or 10 points were added, respectively. Bonus points were added to the scores if legislators consulted with the Florida First Amendment Foundation.

Out of 160 legislators, not one received an A grade. A few received Fs.

So how do the legislators in our area fare?

The Bradenton Herald looked at Manatee County’s four state legislators and one from Sarasota, comparing how they voted on seven different open government bills from the 2017 legislative session. Topics ranged from hiding employees’ families’ information, requiring major pollution events to be made public and relieving the court clerk of liability if confidential information is inadvertently released.

State Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, had the highest grade in Manatee County with a solid B. While he was absent for votes on bills that would protect from disclosure the identities of murder witnesses and criminal histories, he co-sponsored the pollution notification bill — a big plus for his score.

Two local state representatives are tied for second place: Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, and Wengay M. Newton Sr., D-St. Petersburg.

“I’m glad I’m ranked above the other local reps,” Gruters said of his C- grade.

The pair had identical voting records, both voting against a bill that would allow two board members to meet without it being public record — saying “no” means more openness — and voting to hide college president searches.

Gruters said he’s a believer in open government — but it’s conditional. He stuck by his voting record, saying that he uses common sense when approaching open government legislation.

State Rep. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, received a D+ grade, having voted “yes” for all seven of the bills, regardless of if they were for or against more open records. State Sen. Greg Steube, son of former Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube, received a D.

While Steube also had all “yes” votes for the bills, he also co-sponsored SB 118, which requires those who publish mugshots to remove them when requested without accepting a fee. The bill also amends another piece of legislation that would seal criminal history records if the clerk of court is notified that the “charges weren’t filed, were dismissed before trial, or the person charged was acquitted or found not guilty.”

That bill passed both chambers unanimously.

To learn more about the “Sunshine Scorecard” and other state legislators’ scores, visit http://apps.mypalmbeachpost.com/SunshineScorecard17.

This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 2:04 PM with the headline "How do local legislators fare in the sunshine?."