Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has not published the Government in the Sunshine Manual this year, seemingly breaking an annual effort by attorneys general in the state for decades.
The book is typically published in partnership with the Florida First Amendment Foundation and explains Florida’s public records and public meeting laws plus any changes made via case law or the Legislature since the last edition.
The Phoenix verified that the manual has been published every year since 1994, identifying earlier versions, too.
A representative from Uthmeier’s office in Tallahassee confirmed to the Phoenix the 2025 edition is the most recently published edition. Uthmeier’s office did not, however, respond to Phoenix questions as to why his office has not published the 2026 manual.
First Amendment Foundation Director Bobby Block said the absence of the manual has resulted in requests “pretty much every day from record custodians, whether they’re from sheriff’s offices or county departments asking, ‘When is the 2026 manual coming out?’” Block doesn’t have an answer.
“If you really look who is suffering from the fact that there is no manual, it’s the clerks of courts, it’s the records’ custodians through agencies around the state, whether it’s municipalities or county government or soil and water boards or school boards, whatever the case may be,” Block told the Phoenix. “… Without this, it becomes more difficult for them to do their job.”
The guides typically appears in the spring of each year.
Block said his organization has not received a clear answer as to why the guide has not been published. He speculated it could be because the foundation has opposed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attempt to rewrite the state’s defamation law or supported legislation to impose stronger penalties on agencies that don’t comply with public records requests.
“Maybe it has nothing to do with FAF’s positions; maybe it has to do with there’s a desire to just kind of sink Florida’s open government laws. I don’t know, because that’s the direct impact,” Block said.
Block said his organization made a records request four weeks ago for a draft of the manual but has not received a responsive record. There is no statutory requirement to publish the manual, although Block said he’d be “encouraging sponsors to make sure publishing the manual becomes a statutory requirement. It’s that important.”
“It has been published out of the sense of pride and obligation since its inception,” Block said.
“I find it deeply disturbing,” Block said. “And I find what’s disturbing about it is, Florida has a commitment to its citizens, and when you don’t honor your commitment, and yet you hide behind slogans like ‘the free state of Florida,’ you have to wonder, do those slogans actually mean anything when you’re not honoring the contract that you have with the public?” Block said.
He pointed out that access to public records is a constitutional right in Florida, not a privilege.
Uthmeier, appointed attorney general by Gov. Ron DeSantis in February 2025, is campaigning to keep the position in his own right. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
His opponent, Democrat José Javier Rodríguez, said the guide is too important to go unpublished.
“For more than 20 years, I have represented individuals taking on powerful corporations and institutions that have taken advantage of them. I know firsthand how critical our public records and public meetings laws are to holding government accountable,” Rodríguez said in a written statement to the Phoenix.
“The Government in the Sunshine Manual is an essential resource for Floridians to understand their rights and hold public officials accountable. As Attorney General, I will ensure this important resource continues to be published and remains accessible to the public. Floridians deserve an Attorney General who believes in transparency, not one who keeps them in the dark.”
Uthmeier’s predecessor, Ashley Moody, is running for election to keep the Senate seat DeSantis appointed her to fill. (It was vacated by Marco Rubio.)
Moody’s office published the Government in the Sunshine Manual 2025 edition, the 47th.
It actually was published under then-acting Attorney General John Guard, who served in the position until DeSantis appointed Uthmeier to the post. Guard was Moody’s chief deputy attorney general.
“Our system of open government is a valued and intrinsic part of the heritage of our state. Each day, Floridians use these laws to inform themselves as citizens, to attend government meetings and to review government records. As a result of these efforts, government leaders can be held accountable for their actions,” Guard, now a judge on the state’s Second District Court of Appeal, wrote in the introduction of the 2025 edition.
Moody at times made a ceremony of publication, as she did in 2022, releasing it in recognition of National Sunshine Week.
“In recognition of National Sunshine Week, I am proud to release Florida’s 2022 Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual on our website free of charge,” she said in a press release. Our office works hard every year to produce and publish this important guide that helps citizens navigate Florida’s public records laws and access government meetings,” Moody continued.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
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