• Former Palm Beach County commissioner Mary McCarty faces prison time after prosecutors say she failed to file complete disclosure forms, concealing that she steered millions of dollars to her husband's business ventures. McCarty also failed to disclose that she received free or discounted stays at luxury resorts, the Palm Beach Post reported.

''I see no reason why this information shouldn't be posted,'' said Robert Meyers, executive director of Miami-Dade's Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. ``Sometimes it takes us at least three calls to get the forms.''

NOT THEIR JOB

City clerks say the financial disclosure forms aren't their responsibility because officials submit them to other government offices. In Broward, for instance, the supervisor of elections receives more than 2,000 throughout the year.

''Trying to get that captured at one given time -- there is not a single way to do it,'' said Mary Cooney, supervisor of elections spokeswoman. ``Obviously it's a matter of public record -- anything we have is. But there is no reasonable way to display that on the website.''

In Broward, where the commission meeting minutes are posted back nine decades, accessibility to disclosure forms will likely be a topic for the new ethics commission.

County Commissioner John Rodstrom said if commissioners abstain from a vote, that documentation should go online. But Rodstrom, who has worked at investment banks and had his six-figure income published in the past, doesn't see the point to publishing such salaries online.

''There ought to be a little decorum when it comes to how much people earn,'' he said.

LITTLE DEMAND

The interest in viewing forms would be minimal, predicted Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo.

When the city posted campaign finance reports, few people looked, he said. And few would examine financial disclosures. ''Not even an nth of 1 percent of Pembroke Pines would have any use for this,'' he said.

Nationwide, financial disclosures are generally not available online, said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in California. He predicted online access would create a backlash from elected officials. ''There is a big difference between disclosing in an office and having it online so the world can see,'' Stern said.

Fort Lauderdale's Seiler has made improving access to public records a priority since taking office in March. The mayor didn't initially propose posting conflict of interest or financial disclosures, but when asked he said he will explore it -- so long as it doesn't take too much staff time or cost.

Hollywood Mayor Peter Bober agreed about the importance of posting the documents online.

''The average resident is not going to get in their car, come down to City Hall, pay the clerk for copies of records,'' Bober said. ``The only reason to possibly argue against putting more online as opposed to less is you do not want the public to see what is going on.''

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