Office of the State Attorney

Public records are defined as “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”.

 

Florida’s Constitution, Article 1, s. 24 and public records law section 119.011(2), Florida Statutes provide a right to inspect or copy such records unless specifically exempted by the Constitution or by Florida statute.

 

Public Records Request Procedure

For your convenience, we recommend all public records requests be made by email. Please email your request to publicrecords@sao7.org.

For media inquires, please contact Haley Harrison at saopio@sao7.org or by calling (386) 481-8751.

 

We will acknowledge a new request as soon as practicable and may provide one or more of the following initial responses:

• A statement that the Office is initiating a search for responsive records
• An inquiry to clarify the scope of the request when more information is necessary to initiate a search
• A statement that the Office does not have the requested records
• Referral to the proper custodian of the requested records
• An estimate of time required to fulfill the request
• An estimate of fees associated with processing the request

 

Duplication & Materials Costs

If documents are requested in hard copy or disc format, they may be provided upon payment of the following actual duplication and materials costs when applicable:

• One-sided copy: $0.15 per page of not more than 8 ½ x 14 inches
• Double-sided copy: $0.20 per page of not more than 8 ½ x 14 inches
• All other duplication: Actual cost (material and supplies, not labor)
• Packaging and shipping charges: Estimated costs may be changed to reflect actual cost incurred

Review and redaction will not begin until payment of the estimated charges is received. If the actual time required to process the request exceeds the initial estimate, the actual cost must be paid before the records are released. If the actual time is less than the initial estimate, the balance will be returned.

 

Attorney Fees

Written notice requirements for the enforcement of Chapter 119, pursuant to Florida Statute 119.12, shall be provided in writing, identifying the public record request that has been denied by this agency, to the Custodian of Public Records, 251 North Ridgewood Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114-7509

 

Reducing Costs and Limited Charges

• Labor costs can be reduced significantly if requests include keywords instead of open-ended terms such as “all documents or emails”. Similarly, narrowing a request to certain cases, individuals, and/or a particular date range can greatly reduce the use of extensive labor.