Government emails
Just how far is government willing to go to reach openness? Taking Down Words points to how one Florida city started dealing with employee e-mail in December 2004:
“The public and the media may read e-mails sent and received by City of Sarasota employees, including the city manager, city commissioners, and all department heads.
“Effectively immediately, during regular business hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. the public can access and read the e-mails from the Auditor and Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 1565 First Street, Sarasota. One computer is dedicated solely for the public to read city e-mails.”
Given that memos between such officials are generally open, it makes sense the government emails should as well. But our notion of emails, which in many ways resemble a mix of paper mail and phone calls, is not quite in line with traditional written memos. But the law can reasonably equate the two and it appears to be moving in that direction, at least in Florida.
