Securing public records in Florida can take cash, patience and lawyers

by Skyler Swisher, published by Orlando Sentinel, shared by Tampa Bay Times, March 14, 2024

Florida lawmakers approved 16 new public records exemptions in the 2024 legislative session, according to the First Amendment Foundation.

Getting public records in Florida increasingly takes waiting months, shelling out hundreds if not thousands of dollars, hiring a lawyer and in one recent case even having the police called.

“Public records aren’t broken in Florida, but they are certainly walking with a limp,” said Bobby Block, executive director of Florida’s First Amendment Foundation. “Every year, the number of exemptions keeps growing.”

Advocates listed a multitude of problems with accessing government documents: understaffed public records departments, hefty costs for reviewing and producing documents, the governor’s assertion of executive privilege, and a mounting number of public records exemptions passed by state lawmakers.

The logjam affects every Floridian, not just journalists, by denying them the information they need to hold their elected officials accountable, open government advocates say.