HCBOCC approves purchase of digital archive system 

In an effort to improve government transparency and adhere to Florida’s Sunshine Law, the Holmes County Board of County Commissioners has approved the purchase of a digital archive system to store and preserve its livestreamed public meetings.

The move comes after months of public concern over disappearing Facebook livestreams and frequent interruptions during live broadcasts of commission meetings. These issues raised questions about the county’s ability to provide consistent public access to government proceedings, a key requirement under Florida’s open government laws.

In a gesture of civic support, Richard Willsey of Bucking Goat Farms presented a check to the Board for $1,400 to help fund the implementation of the new archiving system.

“This is about accountability,” said Willsey during the meeting. “The public deserves to be able to watch and review what happens in these meetings. This system is an investment in transparency.”

The Board voted to purchase PageFreezer, a cloud-based digital archiving service designed to capture and preserve social media content and livestreams in compliance with various public record laws, including the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), SEC, and FINRA requirements. According to the PageFreezer website, the system “automatically archives content to meet FOIA, SEC, FINRA, and other regulatory recordkeeping requirements.”

The initial setup cost for the platform is $275, which covers configuration and training. Ongoing service will cost the county $1,308 per month.

Holmes County officials say the new system will ensure that all livestreamed meetings, especially those hosted on platforms like Facebook Live, are archived, searchable, and accessible to the public, even if technical issues occur during the live broadcast.

Florida’s Sunshine Law requires all meetings of public boards and commissions to be open to the public, with reasonable notice and access. It also mandates that the records of such meetings be retained and made available upon request.