TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Sunshine on Bill McCollum's shoulders must make him happy.
The Florida Attorney General announced Tuesday that his office has launched the Government Accountability Project, providing more sunshine on the state's governmental practices.
The project was launched in partnership with the University of Florida's Brechner Center for Freedom of Information.
"Florida is a national leader in providing open government for the public," McCollum said. "The GAP project and partnership with the University of Florida's Brechner Center aim to further advance accountability for Florida citizens. It is my hope that this project will serve as an example for other government entities to follow."
McCollum said the project will first determine what discrepancies exist between records already available and information that citizens need but have difficulty obtaining. During the second part, state and local government entities will collaborate to eliminate any uncovered discrepancies.
After 9-11, Florida newspapers started celebrating "Sunshine Sunday," which marks the state's first sunshine law that was passed in 1909 and strengthened in 1967. In 2005, it grew to Sunshine Week, which runs nationally March 11-17 this year.