Frank Mannadmits he was frustrated.
Presented with an opportunity to lure a Fortune 500 company headquarters to Lee County, commissioners were asked to vote on a $4.6 million incentive package this week. The only hiccup — they don’t know what company they’re luring.
“It just kind of seems absurd,” Mann said of the vote to offer incentives to a company known publicly only as Project A. “That’s what the frustration is.”
Lee County commissioners aren’t alone in their frustrations.
State law provides a one- to two-year public records exemption for eligible companies that submit a written request. It makes confidential to all but a select few economic development negotiators — but not county commissioners — a broad range of data, such as business plans, internal audit reports and trade secrets.