Citizen Public Records Audit (Jax Housing Authority

Transparency + Accountability = Liberty. Continuing our audit of government entities on their accessibility to the public for the submission of a public records request, and for their compliance with public record law HonorYourOath visited the http://www.jaxha.org/about-us Jacksonville Housing Authority 1300 N Broad Street Jacksonville, Florida 32202 (904) 630-3810. Report Card, Accessibility A Compliance F What does the Public Records Law provide? A. This law states that "all documents ... regardless of the physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission, made or received pursuant to law or ... in connection with the transaction of official business by any agency" is a public record. The Florida Supreme Court has interpreted this definition to encompass all materials made or received by an agency in connection with official business which are used to perpetuate, communicate or formalize knowledge WHO CAN REQUEST PUBLIC RECORDS? Florida State Law requires that all public records (unless exempt) be open for personal inspection by anyone [Ch. 119.01(1), F.S.]. Florida State Law requires that all public records (unless exempt) be open for personal inspection by anyone [Ch. 119.01(1), F.S.]. The Public Records Act requires no showing of purpose or "special interest" as a condition of access to public records. Unless authorized by law, an agency may not ask the requestor to produce identification as a condition to providing public records. Nothing in Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, requires that a requesting party make a demand for public records in person or in writing. Section 119.07(1)(a), Florida Statutes, provides that "[e]very person who has custody of a public record shall permit the record to be inspected and copied by any person desiring to do so, at any reasonable time, under reasonable conditions, and under supervision by the custodian of public records or the custodian's designee." The public records act does not contain a specific time limit ( such as 24 hours or ten days ) for compliance with public records request. The Florida Supreme Court has stated that the only delay in producing records permitted under chapter 119, Florida Statues, is the reasonable time allowed the custodian to retrieve the record and delete those portions of the record the custodian asserts are exempt. Florida's public record law, http://www.leg.state.fl.us/STATUTES/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0100-0199/0119/Sections/0119.07.html An Overview of Florida's public record law, http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/RMAS-93UQ8G/$file/2013PublicRecordsOverview.pdf First Amendment Foundation http://floridafaf.org PINAC http://photographyisnotacrime.com Smith v Cumming, http://www.aele.org/law/2009all05/smith-cumming.html