St. Johns County has decided to make local governance more accessible to the public by launching livestreams of Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meetings on social media platforms. The county's official Facebook page and YouTube channel will start featuring real-time broadcasts along with the existing streaming services on GovTV, according to an announcement cited by St. Johns County's website. This move aims to conveniently include more residents in the civic process by reaching them on platforms they already use daily.
The initiative comes after the county has regularly streamed BCC meetings on cable and its website. By deciding to additionally harness the power of Facebook and YouTube, the county is providing more avenues for residents to tune into and participate in local government matters from virtually anywhere. County Administrator Joy Andrews emphasized the value of this development, telling the St. Johns County website, “Transparency and accessibility are foundational to effective local government.” Andrews further stated that by expanding their livestreaming capabilities, they are "meeting residents where they are and making it easier than ever to follow Board discussions and decisions."
The expansion aligns with the St. Johns County Strategic Plan that underscores Community Trust and Organizational Excellence as key priorities. Delivering real-time public meeting access through popular online platforms is seen as an approach to foster increased civic engagement. Moreover, the county asserts that this step will guarantee that residents have timely and accurate information about the actions of their local government.
Leading up to the official launch, St. Johns County conducted trial broadcasts during the Jan. 20 and Feb. 3 BCC meetings to ensure a seamless introduction of the new service offering. The initiative seems to already be bearing fruit, with the next BCC meeting eagerly awaited on Feb. 17. It was informed by their website that regular BCC meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 9 a.m., providing regular intervals for public insights into county decision-making.
It is worth noting that while the new streams are meant to widen viewership, there is a time constraint on their availability on Facebook. Streams will stay up for replay, download, or share only for 30 days post-meeting, as outlined by Facebook's current live video storage policy. However, the county reassures that official archived recordings will remain permanently accessible on GovTV.
