Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater
The Department of Financial Services
Florida Sunshine Law &
Public Records
Requirements
Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force Meeting
August 7, 2012
Parts of and Bases
for Open Government
TWO PARTS:
TWO BASES:
 Access to Public Meetings
 Statutory Basis:
 Reasonable Notice of a
Public Meeting Required
 Right to Attend a Public
Meeting
 Access to Public Records
 Right to inspect a public
record
 Right to copy a public
record
 Chapter 119, F.S.
 Section 286.011, F.S.
 Constitutional Basis:
 Article I, s. 24(a), State
Constitution
 Article I, s. 24(b), State
Constitution.
Public Meetings
 Three Basic Requirements for Public
Meetings
 Reasonable notice of a meeting is
required.
 Meetings must be open to the public.
 Minutes of the public meeting must be
taken.
Public Meetings
 What is a Public Meeting?
 Meetings of state or local collegial bodies “. . . at which
official acts are to be taken…”
 Florida courts expanded to include any gathering,
whether formal or informal, of two or more members of
the same board or commission to discuss some issue on
which foreseeable action will be taken by the board or
commission. Hough v. Stembridge, 278 So.2d 288 (Fla. 3d DCA 1973)
 Article I, s. 24(b), State Constitution includes meetings
“. . .at which public business of such body is to be
transacted or discussed. . . .”
PUBLIC MEETINGS
 Telephones: The use of a telephone does not
remove covered discussions from the requirements
of the law. State v. Childers, No. 02-21939-MMC; 02-21940-MMB
(Escambia Co. Ct. June 5, 2003), per curiam affirmed, 886 So.2d 229 (Fla. 1st DCA
2004); Sarasota Citizens for Responsible Government v. City of Sarasota, 48
So.3d, 755, 764 (Fla. 2010); City of Miami Beach v. Berns, 245 So.2d 38 (Fla. 1971)
 Written Communications: Letters, e-mails,
texting, chat, social media, are covered. AGO-89-39; AGO
09-19.
 Conduct Outside of State: Covered. S. 286.011(3)(c), F.S.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
 Use of staff or a nonboard member to act as liaison
between, or to conduct de facto meeting of, board
members are subject to meeting requirements. Blackford
v. School Board of Orange County, 375 So.2d 578 (Fla. 5th DCA 1979)
 Decision-making authority delegated to a single
individual is subject to meeting requirements. IDS
Properties, Inc. v. Town of Palm Beach, 279 So.2d 353, 359 (Fla. 4th DCA 1973); NewsPress Publishing Company, Inc. v. Carlson, 410 So.2d 546, 547-8 (Fla. 2d DCA 1982);
AGO 10-15; AGO-74-294
 Information gathering or “fact-finding” delegated to
individual or group generally not subject to meeting
requirements . AGO 95-06
PUBLIC MEETINGS
 Exemptions
 Meetings are presumed open unless a
statutory exemption applies.
 ONLY the Legislature may create
exemptions.
Security Exemption, s. 286.0113, F.S.
 Litigation Exemption, s. 286.011(8), F.S.

 If denied access to a meeting, the person
denied may demand the statutory citation
authorizing closure.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
 Cure Meetings
 No resolution, rule, regulation, or formal action
shall be considered binding except as taken at
an open meeting. Section 286.011, F.S.
 Action taken in violation of the Sunshine Law is
void ab initio. Town of Palm Beach v. Gradison, 296 So. 2d 473 (Fla.
1974)
 Action can be cured when the offending agency
takes “independent final action in the sunshine.”
Tolar v. School Board of Liberty County, 398 So. 2d 427, 429 (Fla. 1981)
PUBLIC MEETINGS

Sanctions
 An unintentional violation: non-criminal infraction
punishable by a fine up to $500. Section 286.011(3)(a), F.S.
 A knowing violation: 2d degree misdemeanor
punishable by a fine of not more than $500 and/or a
jail term of not more than 60 days. Section 286.011(3)(b),
F.S.
 Suspension or removal from office. Section 112.52(1), F.S.
 Attorney’s fees and court costs. Sections 286.011(4) and (5),
F.S.
PUBLIC RECORDS
 Statutory right to inspect or copy a public record at
reasonable time, under reasonable conditions, under
supervision by custodian of records. Section 119.07(1), F.S.
 Constitutional right of access to records made or
received in connection with official business of a
public body, officer, employee or person acting on their
behalf. Article I, s. 24(a), State Constitution
PUBLIC RECORDS
 What is a public record?
 “ . . . 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.” Section
119.011(11), F.S.
 Any material prepared in connection with official agency
business which is intended to “perpetuate, communicate,
or formalize” knowledge of some type. Shevin v. Byron, Harless,
Schaffer, Reid and Assoc., 379 So. 2d 633, 640 (Fla. 1980)
PUBLIC RECORDS
 Section 119.011(5): Defines “custodian of public records” as
the person who is responsible for “maintaining the office
having public records . . . “
 Section 119.07(1)(b): Authorizes the custodian to designate
another to permit inspection and copying; requires
disclosure of designee’s identity.
 Section 119.07(1)(a): “Every person” who has custody of a
public record shall permit the record to be inspected and
copied by any person . . . at any reasonable time, under
reasonable conditions, and under supervision by the
custodian of the public records.”
PUBLIC RECORDS
 Requests must be:
 Acknowledged promptly and in good faith. Section
119.07(1)(c), F.S.
 Responded to in a reasonable time, i.e., the time it takes
to locate a record, review it for exempt information, and
provide a copy to the requestor. Section 119.07(1)(a), F.S., and
Tribune Company v. Cannella, 458 So.2d 1075, 1078 (Fla. 1984), appeal
dismissed sub nom., DePerte v. Tribune Company, 105 S.Ct. 2315 (1985)
PUBLIC RECORDS
 An agency may not impose a rule or condition on
the right of access that operates to restrict or
circumvent that right. AGO 75-50
 Absent specific statutory authority, an agency may
not require requester to:
 Make request in writing; Dade Aviation Consultants v. Knight
Ridder, Inc., 800 So.2d 302 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002);
 Identity himself or herself; Bevan v. Wanicka, 505 So. 2d 1116 (Fla.
2d DCA 1987); or
 State the reason for or interest in the request. AGOs 92-38
and 91-76; Curry v State, 811 So.2d 736, 742 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002).
PUBLIC RECORDS
 An agency must provide a copy of a public record
in the format requested if the record is maintained
in that form. Section 119.01(2)(f), F.S.
 If the record is not in the format requested, an
agency has the option of converting the record and
charging a special service charge. Section 119.07(4), F.S.
 Everyone has a right to public records in “some
meaningful form.” Seigle v. Barry, 422 So. 2d 63, 66 (Fla. 4th DCA
1982), review denied, 421 So. 2d 988 (Fla. 1983)
PUBLIC RECORDS
 Exemptions
 ONLY the Legislature can create an exemption to
the right of access.
 Records are presumed open unless there is a specific
statutory exemption.
 If a record contains both exempt and non-exempt
information, the keeper of the record must redact
(delete) that which is exempt and provide access to
the remainder. Section 119.07(1)(d), F.S.
 If agency determines record is exempt, agency must
state basis and must put in writing if requester asks.
Section 119.07(1)(e)&(f), F.S.
PUBLIC RECORDS
 Fees
 An agency must “furnish a copy . . . of the (requested)
record upon payment of the fee prescribed by law.” Section
119.07(4), F.S.
 If there is no statutorily-prescribed fee, then fees
authorized chapter 119. F.S., apply.
 15 cents a page for paper copies + an additional 5 cents
for a two-sided copy. Section 119.07(4)(a)1. and 2., F.S.
 The actual cost of duplication for large size or non-paper
copies. Section 119.07(4)(a)3., F.S.

The cost of materials and supplies used to duplicate the record; does NOT
include labor or overhead. Section 119.011(1), F.S.
PUBLIC RECORDS
Special Service Charge Authorized: A reasonable fee for the
extensive use of agency resources — personnel,
information technology, or both.
 Fee must be
 Reasonable; and
 Based on actual costs incurred.
 An agency may not ordinarily charge for the cost to review
records for exempt information but extensive use fee may
be imposed IF extensive use of agency resources required.
AG0 84-81; Florida Institutional Legal Services v. Florida Department of
Corrections, 579 So. 2d 267, 269 (Fla. 1st DCA), review denied, 592 So. 2d 680
(Fla. 1991)
PUBLIC RECORDS
 A knowing violation of section 119.07(1), F.S., is a 1st degree
misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and a jail
term not exceeding one year. Section 119.10(1)(b), F.S.
 A violation of any provision of chapter 119  Unintentional: non-criminal and punishable by a fine
not exceeding $500. Section 119.10(1)(a), F.S.
 Intentional: 1st degree misdemeanor, punishable by a
fine of up to $1,000 and a jail term not exceeding one
year . Section 119.10(2), F.S.
 Suspension or removal from office. Section 112.52(1), F.S.
 Attorney’s fees and court costs. Section 119.12, F.S.
Public Records
 Records Retention
 Section 119.021, F.S.
 Division of Library and Information Services of
Department of State required to adopt rules to:


Establish retention schedules
Disposal process for public records.
 http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/RecordsManagers
 (850) 245-6770
Open Government Help
 Office of the Attorney General of Florida
 Link:
http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/Main/314BA231F89
C0C8A8525791B006A54E2
 Sunshine Manual Link:
http://www.myfloridalegal.com/sun.nsf/sunmanual