Jamie Cole, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman. Photo: Melanie Bell.

Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, a law firm serving as city attorney in 19 municipalities, is asking the governor to exempt public agencies from the Government in the Sunshine Law to allow officials to attend meetings remotely due to the coronavirus.

A letter mailed Tuesday to Gov. Ron DeSantis asks for an emergency exemption to allow meetings to take place when a quorum is present electronically rather than physically, which has been the traditional interpretation of the law.

The requested exception would cover places "where community spread is occurring, a quarantine has been imposed, or health authorities are recommending isolation or the avoidance of public gatherings," Fort Lauderdale managing director Jamie Cole wrote.

The goal would be to allow municipalities "to effectively operate and to timely address emergency situations affecting the public health, welfare or safety," Cole wrote. And the change would still allow agencies to hold meetings if they are banned by public health officials in response to Covid-19.

He said he received no response from the governor's office by midday Wednesday.

"This is a big issue for local government," Cole said in a phone interview. "If we get to the point that there's health department directive against public gatherins, cities won't be able to have public meetings."

The subject of how to conduct public meetings in Florida may be more than an academic question.

A New York attorney who visited Miami in February is hospitalized in serious condition with the virus, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that the attorney's wife, two children and the neighbor who drove him to the hospital have tested positive for Covid-19. One of the children is a Yeshiva University law student.

In the Tampa area, a woman who recently returned from northern Italy, the scene of an outbreak, tested positive along with her sister. Another case in Manatee County also was confirmed.

Weiss Serota has three South Florida offices. In addition to its service as city attorney, the firm represents 60 other cities as special counsel.

Read the letter:

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