HomeMy Public PortalAboutPRR 15-1952From: fact checker[mailto:factschecker@vandex.coml
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2015 5:03 PM
To: Rita Taylor <RTavlorCdgulf-stream.org>
Subject: CHAPTER 119—PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST - YOUR AGENCY- REQUEST NUMBER 10.6.15.761.0
This email message is a request for one or more public records of your agency.
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to Article I, section 24 of the Florida Constitution, and chapter 119, F. S., I am
requesting the following public records:
Records that corroborate, or were used as reference for accuracy, the statement by Vice Mayor
Robert Ganger quoted in the Coastal Star: "I can't tell you how many municipalities, who
unfortunately are enduring the same kind of trickery, are on our side..."
Whenever the record requested is a page that is part of a collection of pages please provide only
the page that is responsive to this request.
Digital copies of records made available for inspection online or by return email are preferred.
Should you deny my request, or any part of the request, please state in writing the basis for the
denial, including the exact statutory citation authorizing the denial as required by s. I I9.07(1)(d),
F.S.
Also, please state with particularity the reasons for your decision, as required by Section
119.07(2)(a). Please redact only that portion of the record that qualifies for any exemption you
are claiming and provide the remainder of the records, according to Section I I9.07(2)(a).
If you can not immediately provide the records I request please contact me to advise when I may
expect fulfillment of my request.
Please notify me with your estimate of any statutorily prescribed fees prior to incurring such fees
if those fees are expected to be greater than $2.00. If you have any questions in the interim, you
may contact me at the email address where this email originated.
Responsive records should be provided via email to factschecker(oDvandex.com
Thank you.
Public Records
The Florida League of Cities SUPPORTS public records reform to discourage or eliminate schemes
designed to generate violations of public records laws as well as limit harassing or unreasonable public
records requests.
Background:
Cities, as well as numerous other governmental entities, are required to comply with the public records laws
in Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. While every city incurs some level of expenses in complying with public
records requests, numerous cities frequently incur extraordinary or unreasonable costs. The reasons for these
extraordinary costs can vary, but include: records requests clearly designed to be harassing in nature (either
by the frequency of requests or the extent of any particular request); requests designed to generate a technical
violation of the public records laws; and requests designed to do nothing more than serve as the basis of a
lawsuit, typically with offers to the city to settle and pay attorney's fees and costs.
Several individuals and entities around the state have developed a "cottage industry" designed to produce
technical violations of the public records laws. These individuals have a standard method of operation. They
will frequently enter into a public office, or the office of a private entity providing services to the public
entity, and demand to inspect frequently remote documents (such as insurance coverage documents). The
persons working in these offices may not be used to receiving public records requests, and are clearly not
the statutory designated custodian of public records (for cities, the custodian of public records is typically
the city clerk). In attempting to comply with the public records request, these persons may technically violate
the public records laws (asking the requestor for their name and contact number, asking the requestor to
sign an entry log, stating that they believe the information requested is not subject to the public records laws,
etc.). Typically, the next communication from the person making the public records request is service of a
lawsuit alleging violations of the public records laws. Undoubtedly, these lawsuits are then followed by a
request for settlement, demanding attorney's fees and costs.
Various individuals and entities have filed thousands of public records requests and hundreds of lawsuits.
As the attached article from a Florida Bar publication indicates, a judge in Duval County denied a request
for attorney's fees in a public records lawsuit and called a plaintiff's actions "a baiting gesture meant to
achieve personal financial gain; not a legitimate request for public records," and "nothing more dean a scam."
Under section 119.0701, Florida Statutes, private businesses that enter into contracts with public agencies
to provide various services become subject to the public records laws. Many private businesses have also
fallen victim to the scam identified above.
These schemes are designed to do nothing more than raid the public treasury at the expense of tax
payers.
Examples of various issues with public records laws:
• Town of Gulf Stream: Since 3013, Town has received 42 different public records lawsuits. Expended
over 5350,000 in litigation defense. Received over 1,500 public records requests since 2013 (primarily
from the same several requestors).
• Two related "public records" seeping entities have filed more than 140 lawsuits in 27 counties within
one year (against governmental entities and those having contracts with governmental entities).
• A "public records" seeking individual claims to have filed almost 300 lawsuits over a seven year
period.
• The Palm Beach State Attorney's office received over 1,300 public records requests from the same
several requestors.
• The following governmental entities have been named defendants in recent public records litigation
(settlement amounts noted):
Municipalities
Greenacres
Orchid
Orlando (Fire)
Atlantis
Gulf Stream
Hallandale Beach
Otter Creek
Aventura
Hialeah
Palatka (Police)
Baldwin
Boynton Beach (Police)
Jacksonville Beach
Palm Coast
Cape Coral: $12,500
Key Biscayne
Pembroke Pines (2)
Coral Gables (Police)
Lake Park: 54,000
Pinecrest
Cutler Bay: $2,000
Lakeland (Police)
Punta Gorda
Dade City
Layton
Sarasota
Sourhwest Ranches (2)
Eagle Lake: $10,000
Macelenny
Eustis (Police): $1,500
1 , ni (3) (2 -City; 1 -Police)
St. Cloud
Fernandina Beach: 55,000
Miami Beach ?
St. Petersburg (3)
TamCi 1 -Police)
(3) (— tY�
Florida City
S2
Miami Lakes: 5_,000
Pa
Fort Myers
Naples
Venice: 52,600
Fruitland Park
New Port Richey
Zephvrlvlls (2)
Counties
Miami -Dade (4)
Palm Beach
Clay
(BOCC, Police, Water &
Pasco
Collier
Sewer Dept.)
Pinellas
Highlands: $9,000
Orange
Volusia
Lake
Osceola (2) (County,
Supervisor of Elections)
School Boards
Hardee
Miami' -Dade
Broward
Hendry
Orange
Charlotte
I RUsborough
Oseola
Clay
Lee
Polk (3)
Duval
Manatee
St. ] ohns
Flagler
Martin: 520,000
St. Lucie
Sheriffs
Hardee
Osceola
Broward
IhIlsborough (2)
Palm Beach
Charlotte
Lake
Pasco (2)
Clay (2)
Lee
Pinellas
ogler
1lanatee
Sc Johns
" C i t y o f C o o p e r C i t y : O n e i n d i v i d u a l h a s m a d e a p p r o x i m a t e l y 6 0 0 p u b l i c r e c o r d s r e q u e s t s i n o n e y e a r ,
r e q u i t i n g e x t e n s i v e t i m e b y c i t y a t t o r n e y , c i t y m a n a g e r , c i t y c l e r k , a n d o t h e r m a n a g e r s t o p r o p e r l y
r e s p o n d .
" C i t i e s o f B e l l e a i r B e a c h , G r e e n w o o d , I n d i a l a n t i c a n d n u m e r o u s o t h e r s h a v e r e c e i v e d p u b l i c r e c o r d s
r e q u e s t s f o r c i t y p e r s o n n e l i n f o r m a t i o n f r o m 2 0 0 8 - 2 1 0 1 3 , s p e c i f i c a l l y s e e k i n g n a m e , p o s i t i o n , m a i l i n g
a d d r e s s , s a l a r y , e t c . i n a s p e c i f i e d f o r m a t .
" C i r y o f O l d s m a r : A f r e q u e n t p u b l i c r e c o r d s r e q u e s t o r s e n d s l o n g e m a i l s a n d e m a i l s t r i n g s c o n t a i n i n g
p u b l i c r e c o r d s r e q u e s t s " e m b e d d e d " w i t h i n t h e e m a i l s .
C u r r e n t S t a t u s : C S / C S / S B 2 2 2 4 ( S i m p s o n ) a n d C S / C S / H B 1 6 3 ( B e s h e a r s ) a d d r e s s t h e p u b l i c r e c o r d s l a w s
w h e n p r i v a t e e n t i t i e s e n t e r i n t o c o n t r a c t s t o p r o v i d e s e r v i c e s t o p u b l i c a g e n c i e s . T h e c o n t r a c t s b e t w e e n t h e
p r i v a t e e n t i t y a n d t h e p u b l i c a g e n c y a r e r e q u i r e d t o p r o v i d e a n o t i c e g i v i n g t h e c o n t a c t i n f o r m a t i o n f o r t h e
a g e n c y ' s c u s t o d i a n o f p u b l i c r e c o r d s . T h e b i l l s p r o v i d e a p r o c e s s t h a t m u s t b e f o l l o w e d t o a w a r d a t t o r n e y ' s
f e e s a n d c o s t s t o a n i n d i v i d u a l c l a i m i n g a v i o l a t i o n o f t h e p u b l i c r e c o r d s l a w s . T h e p a r r y f i l i n g t h e a c t i o n
m u s t p r o v i d e w r i t t e n n o t i c e o f t h e p u b l i c r e c o r d s r e q u e s t , i n c l u d i n g a s t a t e m e n t t h a t t h e p u b l i c a g e n c y h a s
n o t c o m p l i e d w i t h t h e r e q u e s t , b y c e r t i f i e d m a i l t o d i e p u b l i c a g e n c y ' s c u s t o d i a n o f p u b l i c r e c o r d s a t l e a s t
e i g h t b u s i n e s s d a y s ( u n d e r C S / C S / S B 2 2 9 4 ) o r t h r e e b u s i n e s s d a y s ( u n d e r C S / C S / H B 1 6 3 ) b e f o r e f i l i n g t h e
a c t i o n . T h e p a r t y m u s t a l s o p r o v i d e t h i s n o t i c e t o t h e c o n t r a c t o r i f t h e c o n t r a c t o r i s a n a m e d p a r t y i n t h e
a c t i o n .
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p u b l i c r e c o r d s o f a r e c o r d s r e q u e s t b e f o r e a p e r s o n a l l e g i n g a v i o l a t i o n o f t h e p u b l i c r e c o r d s l a w m a y
o b t a i n a t t o r n e y ' s f e e s a n d c o s t s . T h i s t i m e p e r i o d i s n o t a r e q u i r e m e n t t o c o m p l y w i t h t h e p u b l i c r e c o r d s
r e q u e s t , b e c a u s e , d e p e n d i n g u p o n t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s , f u l f i l l i n g a p u b l i c r e c o r d s r e q u e s t m a y t a k e l e s s o r
m o r e t h a n t w o b u s i n e s s d a y s . R a t h e r , t h e t i m e p e r i o d i s d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e t h e c u s t o d i a n o f p u b l i c
r e c o r d s w i t h n o t i c e t h a t t h e p u b l i c r e c o r d s r e q u e s t h a s b e e n m a d e , a n d t a k e t h e a p p r o p r i a t e s t e p s t o f u l f i l l
t h e r e q u e s t . C S / C S / S B 2 2 4 n o w r e q u i r e s p u b l i c a g e n c i e s t o p r o v i d e t r a i n i n g t o i t s e m p l o y e e s , t h e e x t e n t
o f w h i c h i s u p t o t h e a g e n c y , o n t h e p u b l i c r e c o r d s l a w s . T h e s e n a t e b i l l a l s o r e q u i r e s t h e a g e n c y t o p o s t
t h e c o n t a c t i n f o r m a t i o n f o r t h e c u s t o d i a n o f d i e p u b l i c r e c o r d s i n a n y b u i l d i n g i n w h i c h p u b l i c r e c o r d s a r e
s e n t , r e c e i v e d , c r e a t e d , m a i n t a i n e d , a n d r e q u e s t e d .
C S / C S / S B 2 2 4 p a s s e d t h e S e n a t e u n a n i m o u s l y . C S / C S / H B 1 6 3 p a s s e d t h e H o u s e G o v e r n m e n t O p e r a t i o n s
A p p r o p r i a t i o n s S u b c o m m i t t e e a n d i s n o w i n t h e H o u s e S t a t e A f f a i r s C o m m i t t e e .
R e v i s e d : 4 / 8 / 2 0 1 5
C o n t a c t : R y a n M a t t h e w s , A s s o c i a t e D i r e c t o r , L e g i s l a t i v e A f f a i r s 8 5 0 . 2 2 2 . 9 6 8 4 r m a t t h e w s @ f l c i t i e s . c o m
C a s e y C o o k , S r . L e g i s l a t i v e A d v o c a t e 8 5 0 . 2 2 2 . 9 6 8 4 c c o o k @ f l c i d e s . c o m
TOWN OF GULF STREAM
PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA
Delivered via e-mail
October 12, 2015
fact checker [mail to: factschecker@yandex.com]
Re: GS #1952 (REQUEST NUMBER 10.6.15.761.0)
Records that corroborate, or were used as reference for accuracy, the statement by Vice Mayor
Robert Ganger quoted in the Coastal Star: "I can't tell you how many municipalities, who
unfortunately are enduring the same kind of trickery, are on our side..."
Dear fact checker [mail to: factscheckeravandex.coml,
The Town of Gulf Stream received your original public records request on October 6, 2015. You
should be able to view your original request at the following link hhtt ://www2.gulf-
stream.org/weblink/0/doc/67215/Pagel.asix. In future correspondence, please refer to this public
records request by the above referenced numbers.
The responsive records can be found at same above link.
We consider this matter closed.
Sincerely,
Town Clerk, Custodian of the Records