A Gulfport man is suing the city of Clearwater over a public meeting involving the city’s airpark.
Paul Gagliano, who has a storied history with Clearwater and the Clearwater Airpark, along with Pinellas resident Dennis McDermott, is suing Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard, all members of City Council and Clearwater City Attorney David Margolis alleging they violated Florida’s Sunshine Law by scheduling a meeting over the holidays and obscuring notice language so interested parties may not understand what was being discussed.
“By being published in the week between the Christmas and New Year holidays, not many of the public would actually receive the notice,” the lawsuit reads.
Public notice for the hearing was given on December 28, 2022 for the meeting on Jan. 12, 2023. The notice meets requirements for public hearings under Florida state statute.
Florida’s open government laws do not provide a precise definition for “reasonable” notice required for public meetings, “but seven days is (the) accepted minimum,” according to a Sunshine Law explainer document. Officials provided more than a week’s notice for the Clearwater meeting in question.
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