Florida Public Records: How to Request, Costs, and Exemptions

To request public records in Florida, contact the specific agency that created or holds the record and ask for what you want; the request can be spoken or written, you don’t have to identify yourself, and you don’t have to explain why. Inspection in person is free. Copies cost up to 15 cents per one-sided page, with additional charges possible when a request takes extensive staff time. If an agency wrongly refuses, you can sue, and a winning requester is entitled to attorney’s fees.

Figure Out Which Agency Holds the Record

Florida has no central public records portal. Each agency is the custodian of its own records, so your first job is identifying who actually has what you want.

A few common examples: state-level professional licenses sit with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Local building permits and zoning files are kept by city or county planning departments. Court filings are held by the Clerk of the Court in the relevant county. Police reports come from the law enforcement agency that responded to the incident. If you aren’t sure which office holds a particular record, calling the most likely one and asking is fine. They may not forward your request, but they can usually point you to the right custodian.

One boundary worth knowing: Florida’s public records law reaches only state and local government. Records held by federal agencies operating in Florida, such as an FBI field office or a Social Security Administration branch, are governed by the federal Freedom of Information Act and require a separate FOIA request to that agency.

How to Actually Send the Request

Florida keeps the mechanics deliberately simple. You can ask in person, by phone, by email, by fax, or by regular mail. Nothing in the law requires a written request.¹ You are not required to give your name or say what you plan to do with the records. Access does not depend on who you are.

Putting the request in writing is still the smarter move. A written request creates a record of what you asked for and when, which matters if the agency stalls or refuses and you eventually need to take legal action. Be specific: name the people involved, the date range, the division within the agency, and the type of record. A vague request for “all records about Topic X” slows things down because the agency has to guess what you actually want.

How Long the Agency Has to Respond

Florida law does not set a specific number of days. The standard is “reasonable time,” which courts have read to mean only the time actually needed to retrieve the records and redact any exempt portions.² For a handful of documents, a few days is reasonable. For a request touching thousands of pages across departments, weeks may be justified.

The absence of a hard deadline cuts both ways. An agency cannot hide behind a generous clock. If the records are sitting in a filing cabinet and the agency takes six weeks to produce them, that delay can itself be the basis for a legal challenge.

Asking for Electronic Records

If the agency maintains a record in electronic form, you can ask for your copy in that same format and the agency must provide it. Florida law bars agencies from letting their choice of technology erode public access.³ If you want a database export rather than printed pages, and the underlying data is electronic, you are entitled to the electronic version.

What It Costs

Walking in and inspecting records in person is free. You can look at whatever public records you want and take notes without paying anything. Fees apply only when you request copies.

Standard paper copies: up to 15 cents per one-sided page for copies no larger than 14 by 8½ inches, with no more than an additional 5 cents for a two-sided copy.
Certified copies: up to $1 per copy.
Oversized or non-standard copies: the actual cost of duplication.

These rates apply when no other law prescribes a specific fee for that type of record.¹

Special Service Charges on Large Requests

When a request requires extensive staff time or significant use of the agency’s technology systems, the agency can add a special service charge on top of the per-page fee. The charge must be reasonable and based on the actual labor cost of the employees involved or the actual cost of the technology used.¹

The statute does not set a specific time threshold that triggers the charge. The word is “extensive.” A ten-minute pull does not qualify. Hours of searching, reviewing for exempt information, and preparing redactions likely do. If the agency quotes you a service charge, ask for a written breakdown showing the hourly rate and the estimated time. You are entitled to know how the number was calculated.

What the Agency Can Withhold

The presumption is that every record is public. Exemptions have to be specifically created by statute; an agency cannot invent its own. Most are collected in Section 119.071.

Active criminal intelligence and active criminal investigative information are exempt, to protect ongoing operations. Once the matter is no longer active, that information generally becomes available.⁴ Personal information for certain public employees, including law enforcement officers, judges, state attorneys, public defenders, and firefighters (home addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, photographs) is exempt, along with information identifying their spouses and children. Social Security numbers held by any agency are confidential and exempt.⁵

When a record contains a mix of public and exempt information, the agency must release the public portions with the exempt material redacted. It cannot refuse the whole document because part of it is protected. And the custodian must cite the specific statute authorizing each redaction or withholding.¹ A generic claim that information is “confidential,” without a statutory citation, is not a valid basis for withholding.

If the Agency Refuses or Ignores You

This is where most requesters give up, and it’s where the law is strongest. If an agency unlawfully refuses to let you inspect or copy a public record, you can file a civil lawsuit to compel disclosure. A prevailing requester is entitled to reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.⁶ The fee-shifting rule is what makes the remedy real: an attorney can take your case knowing the agency will pay if you win.

Before filing, you have to send written notice to the agency’s custodian of public records identifying the request at issue. The agency then has five business days to respond. If the agency has not prominently posted its custodian’s contact information in its main administrative building and on its website, the five-day notice requirement is waived.⁶

One caveat. The court will look at whether you made the request or filed the lawsuit for an improper purpose, meaning primarily to manufacture a violation or for frivolous reasons. If the court finds an improper purpose, it can deny your fees and require you to pay the agency’s costs instead. Legitimate requests made in good faith do not face this risk.

Penalties the Agency Faces

Public officers who violate Chapter 119 face personal consequences beyond the civil suit. A general violation is a noncriminal infraction carrying a fine of up to $500. A knowing violation of the right to inspect and copy records is a first-degree misdemeanor and can result in suspension, removal, or impeachment. Willfully and knowingly violating certain provisions, particularly those protecting the identity of victims of certain crimes, can be charged as a third-degree felony.⁷

1
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 119.07 – Inspection and Copying of Records; Photographing Public Records; Fees; Exemptions
2
My Florida Legal. Public Records Requirements; Standing Requests
3
Florida Legislature Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes Chapter 119 – Public Records
4
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 119.071 – General Exemptions from Inspection or Copying of Public Records
5
Florida Legislature Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 119.071 – General Exemptions from Inspection or Copying of Public Records
6
Florida Legislature Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 119.12 – Attorney Fees
7
Florida Legislature Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 119.10 – Violation of Chapter; Penalties