Sunny Award for Website Transparency (Again)

Brevard County was one of 112 winners of the Sunshine Review's 2nd annual "Sunny Awards" announced last week. The 2011 awards, which more than double last year's number, recognize the best state and local government websites in America that exceeded transparency standards. Since its inception in 2008, Sunshine Review has analyzed the governmental transparency websites of all fifty states and 6,000 local governments. Last year, 41 websites earned grades of "A" transparency grades. Grading takes into account the proactive disclosure of information regarding budgets, meetings, elected and administrative officials, permits and zoning, audits, contracts, lobbying, public records, and taxes, as well as the ease of use and availability of information.

This year, Florida received more Sunny Awards than any other state, earning 20 awards. Other leading states included: Texas (12), Utah (10), Illinois (7), Virginia (6) and California (5). Brevard County earned an A-, with its only deficiency noted being information about lobbying. The Florida state website earned an "B" grade. The five largest counties averaged a "B", while the five largest cities earned a "B" mark. The ten largest school districts earned a "B+" average. Sunshine Review is a non-profit organization dedicated to state and local government transparency. The Sunshine Review wiki collects and shares transparency information and uses a "10-point Transparency Checklist" to evaluate the content of every state and more than 5,000 local government websites. Sunshine Review collaborates with individuals and organizations throughout America in the cause of an informed citizenry and an accountable government.