Pursuant to the Chapter 119 of the Florida Statute, all records of the government shall be made available to the public. This means that Florida public records are available for the public. These public records include papers, documents, books, audio, films, photographs and other media formats received or created by any government official in connection with the performance of their duties towards the public. Some public records information is exempted from the public access and will be redacted by the custodian before releasing the records to the person requesting the records. Confidential information is released only to the people who are nominated by the government; nevertheless, an agency is not restricted to disclose the records.
One can make their request by writing or contacting the Office of the Custodian of Public Records. Contacting the office is the fastest way to request the information; however, for those whose requests are a bit complex, they might want to put their request in writing. The Florida public records office has a sample of the letter if one wishes to make their request in writing. Although the law states that the agency is not obligated to answer the request(s) in a certain time, it however requires the office to act on the request within a reasonable time as such processing for the request might take some time.
To request for a copy, the Law states a fee schedule that agencies must follow. It allows government agencies to charge $.15/one sided copy and $.20 for two-sided copies of the record. Certified copies cost about $1/record. The agencies must not charge above the cost of the materials and supplies used in duplicating the copies. There are however, some instances when the law allows the agencies to charge more than the amount mentioned above. One instance is when record/case(s) include court records, crash/homicide, county maps and aerial photographs. Another is when the case would require an extensive research of the records of the Office. Last is when the person requesting the information wants the record copies to be released in a media format such as a disk or tape and the agency maintains the same in the said medium/format.
There would be times when the Agency might deny a person's request. The office must state the reason for denial of the request. If the denial is rebuttable, one has three options to have the denial reviewed. One is to contact the Office of the General; second is to file a complaint with one's local state attorney and third is to file a Writ of Mandamus.
Those who would like to access government public records can check the official website of the Florida Public records or visit the county clerk office. Another way to do so is to check out commercial public search sites that offer public researches for free or for a nominal fee. One can check public records such as marriage and divorce decrees, birth or death records, social securities and in some cases, abandoned properties. The advent of the internet makes public records available and one can easily access the records and search important details saving them time from going to the Public Records Office or to the County where the records are filed.
One can make their request by writing or contacting the Office of the Custodian of Public Records. Contacting the office is the fastest way to request the information; however, for those whose requests are a bit complex, they might want to put their request in writing. The Florida public records office has a sample of the letter if one wishes to make their request in writing. Although the law states that the agency is not obligated to answer the request(s) in a certain time, it however requires the office to act on the request within a reasonable time as such processing for the request might take some time.
To request for a copy, the Law states a fee schedule that agencies must follow. It allows government agencies to charge $.15/one sided copy and $.20 for two-sided copies of the record. Certified copies cost about $1/record. The agencies must not charge above the cost of the materials and supplies used in duplicating the copies. There are however, some instances when the law allows the agencies to charge more than the amount mentioned above. One instance is when record/case(s) include court records, crash/homicide, county maps and aerial photographs. Another is when the case would require an extensive research of the records of the Office. Last is when the person requesting the information wants the record copies to be released in a media format such as a disk or tape and the agency maintains the same in the said medium/format.
There would be times when the Agency might deny a person's request. The office must state the reason for denial of the request. If the denial is rebuttable, one has three options to have the denial reviewed. One is to contact the Office of the General; second is to file a complaint with one's local state attorney and third is to file a Writ of Mandamus.
Those who would like to access government public records can check the official website of the Florida Public records or visit the county clerk office. Another way to do so is to check out commercial public search sites that offer public researches for free or for a nominal fee. One can check public records such as marriage and divorce decrees, birth or death records, social securities and in some cases, abandoned properties. The advent of the internet makes public records available and one can easily access the records and search important details saving them time from going to the Public Records Office or to the County where the records are filed.
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