Public Records / FOIA Requests

"Public Records Law," or Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, provides that any records made or received by any public agency in the course of its official business are available for inspection, unless specifically exempted by the Legislature. Over the years, the definition of what constitutes "public records" has come to include not just traditional written documents such as papers, maps and books, but also tapes, photographs, film, sound recordings and records stored in computers. This includes e-mail correspondence.

There are also federal public records laws. Enacted on July 4, 1966, and taking effect one year later, the Freedom of Information Act provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such records (or portions of them) are protected from public disclosure by one of nine exemptions or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions.

Please note, that when fulfilling a public records request, a fee may be charged if a request takes a substantial amount of staff time or county resources to complete. Our public records request cost recovery policy is located on the side of this page. Florida public records laws state that requests for information must be filled in a reasonable amount of time. In addition to any fee estimates, county staff will give you an estimate of the time needed to gather the requested public records.

Florida Public Records law does have general exemptions for inspection or copying of public records. In addition, there may be other laws, including HIPPA and the Florida Emergency Telephone Act that may restrict or require the blackout of certain information before the record can be released. Questions on exemptions may be directed to the county attorney.

Please consider using this electronic form to help facilitate your request. You do not have to give your name or explain why you are making a request. You are not required to submit a request for public records in writing.

To help us provide you the best response to your request, please carefully consider the information that will be useful to you. Very broad requests can take longer to fulfill and may become costly for the requester. However, county staff is committed to providing records as quickly and efficiently as possible. Your request may be made by phone, letter or email. Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send your request electronically but make your request via phone.

NOTE: No fields are required, per Chapter 119, Florida Statutes; however, if you choose to make a public records request using this form, please provide at least one method of contact.

Public Records Request Online Form