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1. What is the Public Records Act?

Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes is known as the Florida Public Records Act.

2. What is a public record?

FS 119.011(12) defines “Public records” as all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software, or other material, regardless of the physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any agency.

3. How do I make a Public Records Request?

Requests for records may be made in writing, email, telephone, fax, letter, or in-person to: Public Records Coordinator 222 West Main Street Pensacola, FL 32502 Telephone: 850-435-1715 Email: publicrecords@cityofpensacola.com The requester(s) do not have to identify themselves or state the reason they desire the records. Although the public records act does not require that requests be submitted in writing, doing so provides real practical benefits to the requester by ensuring they have an accurate record of what they requested. When submitting a request, try to be as specific as possible. Rather than asking for all records over several years, consider starting with a narrow request and then make follow-up requests.

4. How quickly must the City provide the requested records?

The Public Records Act does not contain a specific time limit for compliance with public records requests. Under the provisions of Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, the only delay in producing records "is the reasonable time allowed to retrieve the record, to review the record for exempt information, and redact those portions of the record which are exempt." Many factors determine the "reasonable" period of time in which the requested information can be provided: the nature of the request, the time involved in collecting and generating the requested information, the scope and volume of the material involved, the general accessibility of the records, the personnel required to process the request and information resources necessary to collect or generate the requested information. While every effort will be made to comply with public records requests promptly and in good faith, City of Pensacola Public Records Policy states that an initial acknowledgement to any public records request should be received within seventy-two (72) hours and will be processed in the order in which it is received.

5. Are there any fees or special charges for Public Records Requests?

The Public Records Act allows the City to collect a “per copy” fee or the actual cost for materials and supplies used to duplicate records. In accordance with Florida Statutes 119.07(4)(d), the City may collect a reasonable service charge when a request to inspect or copy public records requires the extensive use of technology resources and/or the extensive use of clerical or supervisory assistance. A service charge for the extensive use of City resources will be imposed if a request to inspect or copy public records takes more than 30 minutes to locate, review and/or redact exempt information, and copy the requested public records.

6. What types of records are exempt from the Public Records Act?

Personal bank account numbers, debit, charge and credit card numbers; social security numbers; work products related to preparation for collective bargaining negotiations; documents related to pending or threatened litigation; complaints relating to discrimination, discipline & employee performance while under investigation, if the complaint is inactive or the complaint is part of a court proceeding; sealed competitive bids or proposals until the City provides notice of a decision or within 10 days after bid opening (whichever is earlier); home addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers and photographs of active or former law enforcement personnel, firefighters, their spouses’ place of employment and names and locations of schools and day care facilities of their children are a few examples of exempt records.