Keeping an eye on public officials.

Many of the state legislative bodies are not in session right now. PNRC urges people to keep an eye on what local governments are doing as well as the state house.

One example occurring right now: Across the country, massive new data center projects tied to expanding the artificial intelligence industry are being announced. These facilities take up huge swaths of land and require a lot of energy. It’s incumbent on local governments and state houses to provide complete transparency and notice of these facilities.

There are many other examples of government activity happening that impacts citizens’ day-to-day lives. Education issues, zoning problems and health concerns are among the myriad of issues that affect the quality of life in American communities. Public notice in newspapers keeps people informed and protected from nefarious government activity.

Upcoming Webinar:

Keeping Public Notices where the Public Notices belong.

The PNRC will be hosting a Webinar at 1:00 pm EST, Monday, November 17 to talk with you about the best practices that help keep public notice in newspapers.

To join us for this session please sign up:

HERE!

Another example of lack of public notice which diminishes transparency

Miami Herald

Lawsuit accuses Miami Dade College of violating Sunshine Law on Trump library

By Claire Heddles October 7, 2025
A new lawsuit aims to overturn Miami Dade College’s decision to deed over property adjacent to the Freedom Tower to the state, even though the governor and Florida Cabinet have already voted to gift the land to Donald Trump’s presidential library foundation to build a high rise.

In a complaint filed in Miami circuit court Monday, historian and activist Marvin Dunn accused Miami Dade College of violating Florida’s public transparency laws in its quick decision last month to hand over prime downtown real estate to the state.
The complaint alleges that the college did not give proper public notice about the true purpose of its Board of Trustees’ vote to convey the property to Florida’s Internal Improvement Trust Fund, which is controlled by the governor and Cabinet. The relief sought? Voiding the land transfer until the college’s board takes a new, publicly noticed vote.

“We’re seeking an injunction against the transfer of the land to the state by Miami Dade College on the ground that the decision to give the land to the state was made in violation of the Government in the Sunshine Act,” Dunn’s attorney Richard Brodsky said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet have already voted to gift the land to Trump’s library foundation. But Brodsky noted that the property appraiser’s website still lists Miami Dade College as the owner, which he said suggests/shows a judge can still block the deed transfer.

Neither Miami Dade College nor the governor’s office immediately responded to a request for comment about the lawsuit.

The college’s Board of Trustees issued a public notice a week before its Sept. 23 meeting, writing that the purpose was to “discuss potential real estate transactions.” Neither that notice nor the agenda for the meeting, posted the day before, gave details about which property the board would be voting on or its intended use.
The college had originally purchased the property in 2004 for $25 million and has been using it as a parking lot. There was no debate or discussion about the land transfer ahead of the trustees’ vote to hand it over to the state. Public documents made available by the college and state show the only return the college will receive for the land is the commitment that construction begin on a presidential library within five years.

According to the vice chair of the board and records the college provided to the Miami Herald, the trustees had not received confirmation of the state’s plans for the land ahead of the vote. DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet voted to gift the land it obtained from the college to Trump’s library foundation a week later.

The complaint argues that the lawsuit is about public process, not politics.
“This action does not have to do with whether the District Board of Trustees made a wise decision. It is not brought to lodge a political protest,” Dunn’s complaint reads. “Depriving the public of reasonable notice of this proposed decision was a plain violation of the Sunshine Act and of the Florida Constitution.”

The vast majority of Miami Dade voters, including 59% of Republicans, think the college should have retained ownership of the land, according to a survey of 600 voters conducted last week by the Democratic polling firm Bendixen & Amandi International.

Florida officials and Trump’s library foundation have touted the planned high-rise presidential library as a benefit to the college, though neither have released details about specific agreements or planned collaborations with the school.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article312416832.html

FROM ACROSS THE POND

Plan to scrap print public notices seen as a threat

13th October 2025
By Daniel Chipperfield Regional Deputy Editor
Proposals to scrap the requirement for certain public notices to be published in print have been criticised as a threat to transparency.
The Government is considering removing the statutory obligation to advertise alcohol licensing notices in printed local newspapers.
Industry leaders say the move would reduce public visibility and undermine the public’s right to know.

Danny Cammiade, chairman of the News Media Association, said: “Local news media in print and digital provide a highly trusted and independent environment for public notices to appear in, with local journalists often reporting on the content of the notices. “Developed with funding and expertise from Google, the industry’s Public Notice Portal has increased the reach of public notices online, with the print requirement remaining essential for ensuring those who cannot, or prefer not to, use digital technology can access the notices.

“Removing alcohol licensing notices from local papers would undermine this work and leave local communities shrouded in secrecy.

“Ministers must change course and abandon this misguided plan.”
The proposal forms part of a wider licensing reform consultation launched in October by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Business Secretary Peter Kyle.
If adopted, the changes would mean applications for new pubs, nightclubs, or changes to existing venue hours would no longer be published in print.

The recommendation came from the Government’s Licensing Taskforce, which was set up to review the Licensing Act 2003.

The group was largely composed of representatives from the hospitality and night-time sectors, with no media representation.

Further changes could also come through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which would remove the requirement to publish notices about changes to local authority governance in newspapers.

Owen Meredith, chief executive of the News Media Association, said: “The government’s misguided proposals for secret alcohol licensing notices would damage local community cohesion by making decisions around hospitality venues less transparent, ultimately harming both pubs and local papers.”

The News Media Association argues that local newspapers remain the primary way the public accesses official notices and that removing print publication would disproportionately affect those without internet access.

Independent research from OnePoll shows local news media remains the primary source used by the public to access public notices.
https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/25536947.plan-scrap-print-public-notices-seen-threat/

PNRC Tracks State Legislation

Since May 2025, PNRC has added 79 bills to its public notice tracking list. The bills range from being enacted, withdrawn, in committee, or introduced. The list includes.

Ten bills eliminating notices from newspapers or making them optional.
Ten more would allow newspaper notices to be digital in addition to print.
Eight bills would allow notices to be placed on government websites.
Six bills allow notices to be on a menu of alternate sites including: print newspapers, print newspaper websites, qualifying community news websites, and statewide websites. One bill called for notices on social media, free newspapers, school newspapers, homeowners’ association newsletters, utility bills, direct mailings, and other forms, fortunately that bill is dead.
Two bills move to standardize requirements for public notices
Two bills address increases in fees
One bill changes the standard face type for public notices
One bill would take away nearly all thresholds for legal notices online. They were killed.

Eight of the bills are dead, ten have been enacted. Two states eliminated some or all notices being required in newspapers.
An observation. All state press associations fight to maintain public notices in newspapers as an independent trusted source. PNRC noted several states continue to introduce bills which require public notices in newspapers. This includes one state that no longer requires notice in print and consistently introduces legislation that requires notice in print.

LEGISLATION OF INTEREST

Ohio

SB135 Regards real property foreclosures and estate sales

Allows foreclosure notices to be published on websites controlled by auction officers in lieu of local newspapers. This bill modifies Ohio’s laws regarding real property foreclosures and estate sales, making several significant changes to the process of judicial property sales. The bill reduces the minimum bidding period for online property auctions from seven to three calendar days, allows more flexibility for judgment creditors to postpone or cancel sales, and modifies appraisal requirements for residential and commercial properties. For residential properties, appraisals must now be exterior-only and conducted by licensed professionals not affiliated with the sheriff or selling officer, with a shortened 14-day timeline for completion. The bill also establishes new requirements for the official public sheriff sale website, including features like online payments, anti-snipe functionality, and electronic bid tracking. Deposit requirements for property purchases are standardized. Additionally, the bill provides more explicit guidelines for conducting sales, including how remote bidding can be handled and what happens if a property remains unsold after initial auctions. These changes aim to streamline the judicial sale process, increase transparency, and potentially make property sales more accessible and efficient for both sellers and buyers. Introduced

Massachusetts

H4244 Authorizing the town of Hingham to utilize alternative methods for publication of legal notices.

This bill provides the town of Hingham with flexibility in how it publishes legal notices, allowing the town to deviate from traditional newspaper publication requirements. Specifically, the bill permits Hingham to publish legal notices through alternative methods, including: displaying the notice on the bulletin board or electronic visual display outside the town clerk’s office, publishing the notice in a local newspaper (either electronically or in paper format), or posting the notice on the town’s official website. The legislation overrides any existing general or special laws or town by laws that previously mandated newspaper publication as the sole method of legal notice. The bill defines the town’s website as the official website operated and maintained by the municipal government. By providing these alternative publication methods, the bill aims to modernize and potentially reduce the cost of publishing legal notices while still ensuring that important information is made accessible to residents. In Committee

Michigan

SB0147 Civil procedure: costs and fees; fee for publication of legal notice; remove sunset for inflation adjustment.

This bill modifies the regulations surrounding legal notice publication fees. Specifically, it removes the sunset date (previously set for March 1, 2025) for annual inflation adjustments to publication rates, which means the treasury department can continue to adjust rates based on the United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) indefinitely. The existing law sets maximum rates for legal notice publications. The bill maintains the provision that the department of treasury will adjust these rates annually to reflect the percentage increase in the CPI for the preceding calendar year. Additionally, the bill preserves existing provisions that allow newspapers to charge their regular commercial rates for state advertisements and require equal rate treatment for political and commercial notices.