Hernando County Launches Civic Access System to Boost Transparency, Speed Service

Hernando County announced on March 4, 2026 that its new Civic Access system is now live in Brooksville, replacing the county’s previous platform and centralizing online access to agendas, minutes, permitting, service requests and meeting information. County officials say the rollout is intended to modernize how residents, contractors and businesses interact with local government and to speed service and transparency across departments.

The county’s announcement names the Tyler Enterprise Permitting and Licensing System as the permitting and licensing component of the Civic Access portal, and says users can apply for permits, planning processes and licenses online, estimate associated fees, and complete application, review and payment steps remotely. Hernando County’s site copy emphasizes mobile use, stating, "It’s now as easy to use on your smartphone as your desktop. Take a tour and please tell us what you think."

Legislative and media functions for the portal draw on Accela products. An Accela case study says Hernando County selected Accela Civic Streaming and Accela Agenda and Minutes because the suite "was easier to use and faster to implement." According to Accela, once staff set up an encoder the county expanded live-streaming and on-demand options, hosting content through a Hernando County Media Center rather than a third-party video platform.

Vendor material lists results from the county’s use of Accela Civic Streaming: about 290 shows were recorded and uploaded in the first year, content ranged from Board of County Commissioners meetings to cooking shows and non-profit videos, and the on-demand page attracted both local and international viewers, including homeowners watching from Canada. Accela states, "Accela Civic Streaming has enabled Hernando County to build out its broadcast presence by making it easier for citizens to view and download meetings and programming, while saving the agency time and money associated with rendering copies."

The county and Accela highlight operational features that affect oversight and transparency: clerks time-stamped recordings so viewers can jump to specific agenda items, and the Hernando County Media Center keeps viewers on the county portal instead of surfacing unrelated videos. As Foti put it in the Accela material, "The mind is a wandering thing. . . Now, when citizens finish watching one Hernando County video, they find themselves back on the media center website, 'opening the door for users to watch the other videos available on the portal.'" Foti also said, "Nothing makes me happier than to hear that someone went online and watched the video again — that’s a tool people can use to get the point across and find out more information."

Hernando County provides user contacts and next steps for residents: the Building Division can be reached at (352) 754-4050 and the county main line at (352) 754-4000, and the county invites users to tour the Civic Access portal and sign up for eNewsletters. The announcement does not specify technical integration details between Tyler and Accela, nor does it list baseline performance targets or first-week usage metrics; county officials or the Building Division are the listed points of contact for follow up as the portal begins collecting user feedback and usage data.