Another hearing has been set in Bartow by the County Commission for an ordinance to eliminate a longstanding requirement that public notices and legal ads concerning county decision-making appear in newspapers.
An ordinance under consideration by the commissioners on Tuesday would change the requirement and require the notices to be published on a publicly accessible website run by the county.
Online publication would be in lieu of newspaper publication as it is now required by Polk County ordinances and other policies, the agenda items says.
In September, a majority of the commission voted against the ordinance after members of the public and newspaper publishers opposed the change.
Historically, governmental boards have been required to purchase notices in local newspapers to announce upcoming meetings that involve things such as budgets, taxes and land-use changes , among others.
In 2022, legislation (HB 7049) signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis loosened that requirement, allowing governmental bodies the option of publishing notices on website.