How To Request Public Records
What is the Florida Freedom of Information Act? What does it mean for us and how do we know we are getting the truth?
The Florida Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a series of laws providing access to public records of all government bodies in the state. Chapter 119 Florida Statutes addresses public records and our rights to view them. Established in 1995, the Florida Sunshine Law considers any record including maps, tapes, letters, recordings, and other materials regardless of characteristics or physical form received or made pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with official business by any government agency a public record.
It is important to note that Florida law authorizes municipalities to recoup their costs of providing public records, so in many cases, depending on the specific request, how much staff time it takes to put the information together and how many pages it is, there can be a fee. In the Town of Melbourne Beach a single page is .15 and a double page is .20, PLUS staff time. If the fees are not paid to the Town then the PRR information will not be released.
Per FS Chapter 119 the office of the Town Clerk is the Town of Melbourne Beach’s custodian of public records. FOIA requests are also known as Public Records Requests (PRR) and can be made very simply on the Town’s website. Our Town’s website is melbournebeachfl.org and to make a FOIA/PRR request you simply click on “Search and Records Request” and then click on “New Request”.
Our PAC, Truth and Accuracy Matter, is committed to presenting the FACTS. In order to present these truths with transparency, we make FOIA requests backup documentation. You will find links for our PRRs throughout the website.
To view the 32 page Report of Public Records Requests made by our current Mayor Al Dennington, please click on this link. Note: These requests were all made prior to getting elected as mayor. The process changes when elected onto the Commission. Elected Town Officials requests are no longer documented within the JustFOIA system.
If you have read something on social media from a non-credible source known for posting opinions and misinformation, please reach out to us to help share the truth for all our neighbors to see and understand. We are committed to providing our Town with factual information, not gossip. You can email us at truthandaccuracymatter@gmail.com.