HomeMy Public PortalAboutPRR 15-1973RECORDS REQUEST (the "Request")
Date of Request: 10/9/15
Requestor's RequestID#: 1123
REQUESTEE: Custodian of Records Town of Gulf Stream
REQUESTOR: Commerce Group, Inc.
REQUESTOR'S CONTACT INFORMATION: E -Mail: records@commerce-group.com
Fax: 954-360-0807 or Contact Records Custodian at records@commerce-groun.corn
Phone: 954-360-7713; Address: 1280 West Newport Center Drive, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
REQUEST: Provide copies of all records (including, without limitation, communications, billings
memos, text messages, entails, audio tapes and videos) wherein Rita Taylor was a Receiver or a Sender
during the neriod January 1, 2013 through October 9, 2015 which are in possession of the Town of Gulf
Stream.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING REQUEST: The term "Town of Gulf Stream" shall
mean each of the following: the Town of Gulf Stream. its Commissioners. its Manager, its emplovees its
Police Department, its Police Officers and its Counsel (including, without limitation, the following law
firms) Sweetapple, Broeker & Varkus; Richman Greer, PA; and Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs.
(including, without limitation, the attorneys. employees and partners of each such law firm.)
THIS REQUEST IS MADE PURSUANT TO ARTICLE I, SECTION 24 OF THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION AND CHAPTER 119,
FLORIDASTATUTES
IF THE PUBLIC RECORDS BEING SOUGHT ARE MAINTAINED BY YOUR AGENCY IN AN ELECTRONIC FORMAT PLEASE
PRODUCE THE RECORDS IN THE ORIGINAL ELECTRONIC FORMAT IN WHICH THEY WERE CREATED OR RECEIVED.
SEE 5119.01(2)(F). FLORIDA STATUTES. IF NOT AVAILABLE IN ELECTRONIC FORM. IT IS REOUESTED THAT THIS
RECORDS REQUEST BE FULFILLED ON 11 X 17 PAPER. NOTE: IN ALL CASES (UNLESS IMPOSSIBLE) THE COPIES
SHOULD BE TWO SIDED AND SHOULD BE BILLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH Section 119.07(4) (a) (2)
ALSO PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF IH 19.07(1)(11) OF THE FLORIDA STATUTES, W 111CII PROVIDES THAT 'IF .A CIVIL ACTION
IS INSTITUTED WITHIN TRE 30 -DAV PERIOD TO ENFORCE THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION WITH RESPECT TO
THE REQUESTED RECORD, THE CUSTODIAN OF PUBLIC RECORDS MAY NOT DISPOSE OF THE RECORD EXCEPT BY
ORDER OF A COURT OF COMPETENI' JURISDICI'IO.N ,%F rER NOTICE TO ALL AFFECTED PARTIES."
ALL ELECTRONIC COPIES ARE REQUESTED TO BE SENT BY E-MAIL DELIVERY.
PLEASE PROVIDE THE APPROXIMATE COSTS (IF ANY) TO FULFILL THIS PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST IN ADVANCE.
It will be required that the Requestor approve of any costs, asserted by the Agency (as defined In Florida Statute, Chapter 119.01
(Detinllions)), In advance of any casts Imposed to the Requestor by the Agency.
"BY FULFILLING THIS RECORDS REQUEST, THE AGENCY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE RESPONSIVE DOCUMENTS
ARE "PUBLIC RECORDS" AS DEFINED IN CHAPTER 119, FLORIDA STATUTES".
UP/NP/FLRR
07.28.2015
TOWN OF GULF STREAM
PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA
Delivered via e-mail
October 29, 2015
Commerce Group, Inc. [mail to: records@commerce-group.com]
Re: GS #1971 (1121),1972 (1122), 1973 (1123)
Provide copies of all records (including, without limitation, communications, billings, memos, text
messages, emails, audio tapes and videos) wherein Bob Ganger was a Receiver or a Sender during
the period January 1, 2013 through October 9, 2015 which are in possession of the Town of Gulf
Stream. The term "Town of Gulf Stream " shall mean each of the following: the Town of Gulf
Stream, its Commissioners, its Manager, its employees, its Police Department, its Police Officers
and its Counsel (including, without limitation, the following law firms) Sweetapple, Broeker &
Varkus; Richman Greer, PA; and Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, (including, without limitation,
the attorneys, employees and partners of each such law firm)
Provide copies of all records (including, without limitation, communications, billings, memos, text
messages, emails, audio tapes and videos) wherein Thomas Stanley was a Receiver or a Sender
during the period January 1, 2013 through October 9, 2015 which are in possession of the Town
of Gulf Stream. The term "Town of Gulf Stream" shall mean each of the following: the Town of
Gulf Stream, its Commissioners, its Manager, its employees, its Police Department, its Police
Officers and its Counsel (including, without limitation, the following law firms) Sweetapple,
Broeker & Varkus; Richman Greer, PA; and Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, (including, without
limitation, the attorneys, employees and partners of each such law firm)
Provide copies ofall records (including, without limitation, communications, billings, memos, text
messages, emails, audio tapes and videos) wherein Rita Taylor was a Receiver or a Sender during
the period January 1, 2013 through October 9, 2015 which are in possession of the Town of Gulf
Stream. The term "Town of Gulf Stream" shall mean each of the following: the Town of Gttlf
Stream, its Commissioners, its Manager, its employees, its Police Department, its Police Officers
and its Counsel (including, without limitation, the following law firms) Sweetapple, Broeker &
Varkus; Richman Greer, PA; and Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, (including, without limitation,
the attorneys, employees and partners of each such law firm)
Dear Commerce Group, Inc. [mail to: records(&commerce-¢roup.coml,
The Town of Gulf Stream has received your public records requests dated October 9, 2015. The
original public record request can be found at the following link: httv://www2.gulf-
stream.ore/weblink/0/doc/67597/Pagel.asvx, http://www2.gulf-
stream.org/weblink/O/doc/67599/Pagel.asnx, and hM://www2.gulf-
stream.org/weblink/0/doc/67601/Pa eg l.aspx. Please refer to the referenced number above with
any future correspondence.
The Town of Gulf Stream is currently working on a large number of incoming public records
requests. The Town will use its very best efforts to respond to you in a reasonable amount of time
with the appropriate response or an estimated cost to respond.
Sincerely,
Town Clerk, Custodian of the Records
TOWN OF GULF STREAM
PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA
Delivered via e-mail
November 24, 2015
Commerce Group, Inc. [mail to: records@commerce-group.com]
Re: GS #1973 (1123)
Provide copies ofall records (including, without limitation, communications, billings, memos, text
messages, emails, audio tapes and videos) wherein Rita Taylor was a Receiver or a Sender during
the period January 1, 2013 through October 9, 2015 which are in possession of the Town of Gulf
Stream. The term "Town of Gulf Stream " shall mean each of the following: the Town of Gulf
Stream, its Commissioners, its Manager, its employees, its Police Department, its Police Officers
and its Counsel (inchrding, without limitation, the following law firms) Sweetapple, Broeker &
Markus; Richman Greer, PA; and Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, (including, without limitation,
the attorneys, employees and partners of each such law firm)
Dear Commerce Group, Inc. [mail to: recordsAcommerce-erouo.coml,
The Town of Gulf Stream received your public records request on October 9, 2015. You should
be able to view your request at the following link htto://www2.gulf-
stream.ore/weblink/O/doc/67601/Page Lasux. In future correspondence, please refer to this public
records request by the above referenced numbers.
As an initial matter, the Town disputes that you have identified those portions of the records that
you seek with sufficient specificity to permit the custodian to identify the records. As you are
aware, Rita Taylor has been the Town Clerk of the Town of Gulf Stream since 1/1990. Your
request is vague, ambiguous and overly broad and essentially seeks to completely duplicate the
Town Clerk's public records sent or received for a nearly two year period.
The Town Commission generally meets once per month. Accordingly, records responsive to your
request would include the agendas and the agenda packets of the ARPB as well as the Town
Commission. All agendas are online, but only from October 2013 to current are agenda packets
available online for the Town Commission. For the agenda packets for the ARPB, all packets are
there for the time period you seek. These can be found by going to www.gulf-stream.org, click on
"Town Clerk", click on "Agendas", click on either "ARPB" or "Town Commission". You will
then click on the desired year to find the agendas and packets you seek.
The Town notes that it has previously responded to requests — including requests from you and/or
your affiliated entities or officers -- for records that appear to seek a subset of the present request
and provided records, advised no records exist, or given estimates of the cost to produce responsive
records. To find the aforementioned requests and responses, go to www.eulf-strearn.org, click on
"Find a Town Record", click on "Public Record Requests", click on the year you desire, click on
either "Public Record Number Log" and search "Taylor" and then search by the number of the
desired public records request in the folder "Public Record Requests (of desired year)". To find
all the requests that Rita Taylor has received and responded to, you can also go to the same place
and look in "Public Record Requests (of the desired year)" and "Public Record Number Log."
In light of the breadth of your request, which covers "all records" received or sent to the referenced
individuals during a nearly two year period, producing all records responsive to your request will
require extensive clerical or supervisory assistance. As you are also aware, the Town is presently
defending 40 public records lawsuits that were filed during the nearly two-year time period
encompassed by your request. The Town is also defending seven (7) pending lawsuits brought
against it and its officials in state and federal courts in Palm Beach County. Another two (2)
lawsuits brought by the Town are pending in state and federal courts in Palm Beach County. Your
request thereby potentially encompasses documents prepared by the Town's attorneys exclusively
for litigation or in anticipation of imminent litigation and that reflect the mental impressions,
conclusions, litigation strategies, or legal theories of the Town's attorneys or the Town and would
be exempt under Florida Statute § 119.0171(1)(d) until the conclusion of the litigation. As a result,
the Town reasonably anticipates needing attorney time to review any records that may be
responsive to your request for exemptions under Florida Statute § 119.0171(1)(d).
The Town estimates that to respond to your request will require 10 hours of administrative support
at $40.51 per hour, and 4 hours of attorney support from the Town's outside legal counsel at
$235.00 per hour, the labor cost of the personnel providing the service, per Fla. Stat. §
119.07(4)(d). If the costs of producing these documents will exceed your deposit, the Town will
provide you with an initial production of responsive records and an estimate for the production of
any additional responsive records. If the costs of production are less than the deposit, the Town
will provide you with the responsive records and a refund.
(10 hours @ 40.51= 405.10) — (.25 hours @40.51 =10.13) + (4 hours @ 235.00 = 940.00) _
Deposit Due: $1,334.97 in cash or check.
Upon receipt of your deposit, the Town will use its very best efforts to further respond to your
public records request in a reasonable amount of time. If we do not hear from you within 30 days
of this letter, we will consider this closed.
Sincerely, Town Clerk