The Open Meetings or “Sunshine” Law gives the public the right to attend meetings of public bodies, listen to the debates and watch the decision making process in action.
A meeting is defined as “the official convening of a public body for the purpose of conducting public business”. Since the law applies to official meetings, chance meetings or social gatherings are not covered by the law. Also, the law is silent with respect to public participation. Therefore, a public body may permit you to speak at open meetings, but is not required to do so.