At a time when local governments are posting reams of material online -- such as meeting minutes dating to 1915 -- public officials' financial disclosure forms are nowhere to be found on most websites.

Florida has some of the nation's strongest public records laws requiring politicians to disclose their sources of income and possible conflicts. But for the public, easily finding these forms is another matter.

A spot check of five cities -- Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miami and Pembroke Pines -- showed that none of the elected officials' disclosure documents was readily accessible online. That's even though such forms are typically one to two pages.

How important are the forms? Just check current South Florida corruption probes.

• A Miami commissioner faces ethics charges and met with prosecutors after failing to disclose $135,000 in rental income.

• A former Palm Beach County commissioner recently pleaded guilty to corruption charges after failing to report income and gifts from county vendors.

• Last year, 768 elected officials faced fines from the Florida Commission on Ethics related to financial disclosure forms, many for filing late.

So, why are the forms so hard for the public to find?

For starters, the forms are stored at various city, county and state offices depending on the official involved. Lost in the shuffle is the average resident who doesn't know how to find them.

Many offices require a trip in person. But that should not be necessary anymore, said Vincent Damian, head of the Coral Gables Citizens Political Action Committee watchdog group.

''Twenty years ago that was acceptable,'' Damian said. ``Today it is not.''

Government officials who keep track of the documents say no one has ordered that they go online.

FOR SOCIETY

That should change, says new Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler. ``I'm a believer if something is a public document it should eventually end up online because that is what our society is going to.''

The Florida Commission on Ethics, which receives about 36,000 financial disclosure forms a year, researched creating an electronic filing system a few years ago. The cost: $1.4 million to set it up and $300,000 a year, said executive director Philip Claypool. And it would require Legislative approval.

`WHY NOT?

While a state senator, Congressman Bill Posey authored a bill in 2006 to force the posting of all financial disclosure forms online. It failed to gain traction.

''The technology is here now,'' he said. ``Why not? . . . The more transparent government is, the more confidence citizens have in it.''

Experts say current investigations show why the disclosure forms are important -- and should be readily accessible. A few examples:

• Last month the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust revealed that Miami Commissioner Angel Gonzalez faces pending ethics charges that he failed to disclose about $135,000 in rent over three years.

Gonzalez also met with Miami-Dade prosecutors about the matter. His attorney said Gonzalez misread the form and didn't intentionally hide income.

• In February, the county ethics commission fined Bal Harbour council member Joel Jacobi for not fully disclosing rental income. During his campaign, questions arose about where he truly lived, and Jacobi quit his council position in March.