2020-08-04 Signed letter requesting extension of virtual meetingsoF•OkeF�
CITY OF OKEECHOBEE
y°
55 SE THIRD AVENUE
'#4VMMW a
OKEECHOBEE, FL 34974
o�
Phone: (863)763-3372
91 "
www. cityofokeechobee. com
August 10, 2020
VIA EMAIL ONLY: rovernorron.desantiskeog.myflorida.com
The Honorable Governor Ron DeSantis
State of Florida
The Capitol
400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Okeechobee City Council
Mayor Dowling R. Watford, Jr.
Wes Abney
Monica Clark
Bob Jarriel
Bobby Keefe
Re: Executive Order Number 20-69 - Local Government Public Meetings
Dear Governor DeSantis,
On behalf of the City of Okeechobee, I am writing to formally request that you extend the
option for local governments to hold virtual meetings as provided within your Executive Order
Number 20-69 and its extension by Executive Order 20-179 (to September 1, 2020).
In accordance with Executive Order Number 20-69, and in direct response to the Covid-19
pandemic, your Office suspended any statute requiring that a physical quorum be present in
order to hold a public meeting and your Office also permitted local governments to use
technology in order to hold public meetings. As a result, many municipalities have been holding
virtual meetings in reliance on Executive Order Number 20-69 and its extension by Executive
Order 20-179.
With the continued growing number of positive cases within our region of the state and in within
the City of Okeechobee, we are concerned about the expiration of Executive Order Number
20-69 as extended and the effect that would have on our ability to continue to have public
meetings during the pandemic while adhering to the recommended social distancing guidelines.
Thus, the City of Okeechobee respectfully requests an extension of Executive Order Number
20-69, as the public health concerns outlined in Executive Order Number 20-52 continue to
present serious challenges for holding in-person meetings, particularly in light of the surge in
cases of Covid-19 in South Florida. An extension will assist us and other cities in protecting
our residents while continuing to conduct the public's business with open access to public
meetings. As a result, we are requesting your consideration to extend the virtual public
meeting option for local governments and to please tie this extension to your Executive Order
No. 20-52 (which would rescind this extension when this Order is rescinded).
Page I 1
Thank you in advance for any support that you can provide to this request. Should you have any
questions and/or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Again, thank you for all your efforts during this very difficult time.
Respectfully,
Dowling R. Watford, Jr.
Mayor
cc: Senator Ben Albritton albritton.ben.web cgflsenate.gov
Representative Cary Pigman cM.pigmanglnyfloridahouse.gov
The Honorable President Isaac Salver - Florida League of Cities isalverkflcities.com
Mr. Michael Sittig, Executive Director - Florida League of Cities msittiggflcities.com
Ms. Allison Payne — Florida League of Cities apaynegf[cities.com
Page 12