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Don't they know there's no such thing as a free lunch?

By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Tue Jun 20, 2006 at 01:14:06 PM EST

Sunshine Laws are meant to insure that government work is conducted openly and fairly. They differ in particulars from state to state, but they share a common goal: to make sure that private interests cannot influence government decision-makers away from the public eye.

Florida has a Sunshine Law. So you tell me if this sounds legit:

The setting: a private room at the Governor's Club in Tallahassee.

Engineers, lawyers and contractors dined with two members of the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority.

The occasion?

According to a guest list: the authority's plans to build the first privately owned toll road in Florida.

On Friday, the authority will invite companies to bid on the project, which will connect Interstate 275 with Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, serving New Tampa commuters. Whoever wins the contract will stand to make millions in tolls, and will also be positioned as the leader in a new field within the state.

There's more after the jump.