Public Records Request

Revised June 23, 2017

(I) This policy will facilitate proper and timely responses to requests for public records.  Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, establishes the right of access to public records, as well as the circumstances under which fee(s) can be charged for the provision of this service.

(II) Definition: “Public records” as defined by section 119.011(12), Florida Statutes, means: 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 The Children’s Trust.

(III) Definition: “Public records” as defined by section 119.011(12), Florida Statutes, means: 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 The Children’s Trust.

(IV) Confidentiality of Documents

The Children’s Trust will abide by Florida law or any other governing law as to records that are confidential or exempt from production. Confidential and/or exempt information (i.e. Social Security numbers; bank account numbers and debit, charge, and credit card numbers; etc.) must be redacted before the copy is released to the requestor.

(V) Reproduction and Costs

If applicable, photocopy or reproduction costs shall be charged in accordance with Section 119.07(4), Florida Statutes.

The fee for paper copies is: $.15 per single-sided page for duplicated copies of not more than 14 inches by 8.5 ½ inches; $.20 per double-sided page; and for all other copies, the actual cost of duplication of the record.

Audio, video and other materials shall be provided upon payment of the actual cost of duplication of the public record.

A charge of up to $1.00 per copy may be assessed for a certified copy of a public record.

No charges will be assessed against the requestor if the cost of production is less than $5.00.

If the nature or volume of public records requested to be inspected, examined, or copied requires 30 minutes or more of information technology resources or extensive clerical or supervisory assistance, or both, a special service charge can be added to the actual cost of duplication, which The Children’s Trust has the option to collect prior to performing the search and copying the records. This special service charge will be calculated by multiplying the employee’s hourly salary, including fringe, by the hours worked to produce the final product. The calculation of hours encompasses the time spent ascertaining the scope of records requested, the retrieval of the documents, and the final production of any redacted copies.

All fees and costs for the production of documents must be collected before the documents are copied and produced.  Payment may be made by cash, cashier’s check or money order payable to The Children’s Trust.  Payment may also be made online by credit card by clicking here.

(VI) Procedure

The time to fulfill a public records request will vary depending upon the nature of the particular record(s) requested and the volume of the request.  Under Florida Public Records law, you do not have to give your name or explain why you are making a request.  You are also not required to submit a request for public records in writing.  However, in order to help facilitate your request and to better serve and ensure a comprehensive response, please consider using our online form and provide a detailed description of the records you are requesting. For The Children’s Trust public records request form, please click here.  If you do not choose to use our online form, you may contact the Records Custodian:

When a public records request is received it shall be forwarded immediately to the Records Custodian who will assign the request to the correct department(s) or personnel.

Once the records have been prepared, the Records Custodian will contact the person requesting copies of the public records to pay the invoice to the Finance department.  Copies of the public records will not be released until full payment is received by The Children’s Trust.

Unless requested otherwise, the party requesting the records will receive the documents via email. In the event that the volume of the documents exceed the maximum size limit for emails, the requestor will be contacted to pick up hard copies at The Children’s Trust’s office.

The foregoing Public Record’s Policy was
APPROVED AND ADOPTED by The Children's Trust on this 23rd of June 2017.
THE CHILDREN'S TRUST
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA

BY ________________________


CEO