Town Commission to continue Zoom use after pandemic ends

Longboat Key town commissioners passed a resolution earlier this month that will allow for remote participation under certain circumstances.

As long as a physical quorum is met, the Longboat Key Town Commission will allow commissioners to use virtual technology such as Zoom to participate in meetings. No more than three commissioners would be allowed to participate virtually at the same time.

“We know there are limitations to the Zoom approach to the world,” Mayor Ken Schneier said. “And, we know that meeting in person is preferable, maybe far preferable.”

Commissioners voted 7-0 in favor of the resolution, which is a formal expression of the opinion or will of the Town Commission by vote. It is different than an ordinance, which is a rule, law or statute by a municipal legislative body.

The resolution has a shortlist of “extraordinary circumstances” for virtual Town Commission participation:

• Illness or disability
• Caring for a recovering or ill family member
• Attending an event on the town’s behalf
• Travel related to health reasons
• Family obligation (i.e., family wedding, or funeral attendance) or
• A declared local, state or national emergency

During the June 7 Town Commission meeting, Town Attorney Maggie Mooney told Vice Mayor Mike Haycock that a commissioner could call and ask the other commissioners for permission to participate virtually even if the commissioner doesn’t fall under one of the “extraordinary circumstances.”

“Like everybody else, we want to be at every meeting,” Haycock said. “We take our jobs seriously. There’s going to be occasions, just speaking for myself, where I’ve got to miss a meeting or two a year, whether it’s [a] vacation or some other obligation.”

The changes take effect immediately. Florida’s state of emergency is set to end in late June in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of emergency has allowed Florida municipalities to use virtual technology such as Zoom to participate.

Town Manager Tom Harmer explained why he and Mooney felt the need to update the commission’s resolution on virtual participation in meetings.

“This updated resolution is providing to you [to] add some flexibility based on the discussion with the commissioners last meeting,” Harmer said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the Town Commission to use Zoom in some capacity since April 2020.

Hybrid meetings began in November 2020 with some commissioners gathering inside the Town Hall chambers and some using Zoom. The town took several precautions with the hybrid approach, including the requirement of masks for anyone inside Town Hall not sitting on the dais, transparent barriers to separate commissioners, a temperature check of anyone entering the building, hand sanitizer machines and a questionnaire that people had to answer before entering Town Hall.

In May, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that suspended local government mandates and restrictions based on the COVID-19 state of emergency. 

June 7 marked the first Town Commission meeting where commissioners weren’t separated by clear barriers.

At-Large Commissioner BJ Bishop frequently used Zoom to participate in commission meetings throughout the pandemic. She spoke about her preference of meeting in person.

“The difference in the quality of our meetings from having spent a year on Zoom as opposed to physically being here is a drastically different quality meeting, and I think we lose a tremendous amount without the physical participation,” Bishop said. 

The Town Commission last updated its interactive electronic media technology policy in 2013.

The new resolution does not allow commissioners to virtually participate in meetings not held at Town Hall, like the annual commission retreat.