Transparency by Default (EO 005)

The problem

Getting public records from City Hall can feel like pulling teeth — delays, denials, and fees that discourage the very people the records belong to.

The plan

Executive Order 005 flips the presumption: city information is public by default, and the burden is on the city to justify withholding anything. Implementation planning starts on Day One.

Departments publish proactively — meeting materials, data, decisions — so residents don't have to file requests for what should already be in the open.

How you’ll know it’s working

• Implementation planning started Day One
• Proactive publication standards issued
• Records response times tracked and published

From the Blueprint

• Every non-confidential document, meeting material, contract, and vendor agreement is prepared for publication as routine.
• Departments may not default to withholding — any non-disclosure needs a documented legal basis.
• Civic Insights maintains a public transparency registry: every activity category, its publication status, and exemption rationale.
• The registry is searchable, filterable, and updated in real time; CitySync is the single authoritative interface.

Every contract Tampa signs, every meeting Tampa holds, every dollar Tampa spends — all of it will be visible.