Miami-Dade commissioner Barbara Jordan has a problem with the public knowing how much she makes -- and if she has her way, you won't.
As first reported by Miami New Times, Jordan, who serves Miami Gardens and parts of northwest Miami-Dade, takes issue with the county's transparency website, which makes available the salaries of most Miami-Dade employees.
Jordan, who makes $50,000, is pushing a proposal to move salary information for herself and nearly 26,000 county employees offline, making the information only accessible via public records requests.
While Jordan says she supports keeping an open flow of communication between the county and constituents, she said making salaries public is an unnecessary risk.
"Information should be provided publicly, regarding salaries or anything else that is done in Miami-Dade County," Jordan told the Miami Herald in a report. "But I think we also have to be concerned with balancing that with the safety of our employees."
Jordan has argued the information is "misleading," especially for employees who could take issue with with differing salaries for common work. For example, she told the New Times concerning County Attorney Robert Cuevas, who makes $300,000 annually, that "People don't realize that Bob has been here 30 years. It took him 30 years to get to that salary, but that information isn't there."
County Mayor Carlos Gimenez disagreed with Jordan's assessment of the database, according the Herald report: "I think [residents] have a right to it, and they should be able to obtain it in an easy way."
A vote on Jordan's proposal is planned for the next county commission meeting Tuesday at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center Downtown.
Jordan's push for restricting public information comes just days after a report called Florida Governor Rick Scott's "Project Sunburst" program less than open regarding its touted mission of government accountability, as the governor and his staff eschew electronic messaging in favor of "interpersonal communication" lacking a paper trail.