IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

This Florida city lets anyone read what online?

Answer: City commissioners’ emails.

The feature was first introduced in 2014 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability on the part of Gainesville, Fla., government. The site contains emails sent and received by all six current city commissioners as well as the mayor. It also has the messages of some previous commissioners.

The archive is updated each night and can be searched by date, keywords, recipient, sender, and/or subject. Users can print or export any emails they find either in bulk or individually.

The feature gained some attention on social media recently when it was discovered and tweeted by a user who found the feature beneficial. Not all messages are included in the archive, so it therefore is not an attempt to comply with Florida Public Records Law. One still has to submit a public records request to view emails if they contain things like personally identifying information.

Kate is a senior copy editor in Northern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in professional writing from the University of California, Davis.