East Volusia News – “How much would you pay for public records?”

PORT ORANGE — If a city employee works more than 15 minutes to provide a public record, some cities add a charge above the 15 cents per page copying rate.

Other cities add a charge after 30 minutes.

* * *

Florida’s Sunshine Law requires open access to government records, as well as open meetings. However, some fees are allowed for public records.

“Basically, the law allows agencies to charge an extensive-use fee when the nature of the request requires extensive work by a clerical person,” said Adria Harper, director of the First Amendment Foundation, a Tallahassee-based Sunshine Law watchdog group.

Local governments that want to enact an extensive-use charge must base the fee on the actual cost to produce the record.

“They can’t be generating revenue with public records requests,” Harper said.

* * * *

East Volusia News – newsjournalonline.com.

Coral Springs getting set for Facebook debut after state gives its OK — South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Local governments’ adoption and use of new technologies is refreshing and commendable, but there will be growing pains in many areas, including the Florida’s Sunshine and Public Records laws.

CORAL SPRINGS – There are still some technicalities to work out, but after a nod from the Florida Attorney General's Office, the city plans to debut on Facebook within months.

snip

“It might wind up being the best way for us to communicate regularly, easily and efficiently,” he said.

While Coral Springs isn’t the first city to have a Facebook page (Tamarac and Pompano Beach already beat them to it), it is the first city to ask the state for a legal opinion about the social networking tool, said Sandi Copes, communications director for the attorney general.

The city still must work out how to retain copies of Web pages for public inspection, to comply with the state’s open records law, said City Attorney Sam Goren. “It has to be retained in the computer system,” he said.

The question is how to make the Facebook page comply with state law, said City Manager Michael Levinson. “And to what extent. That’s what we’re looking at now.”

The rest is easy: The state said commissioners can’t talk to each other on Facebook since that would violate the Sunshine Law requirement that politicians discuss city business in the open. And comments posted to the city’s page by its “friends” will be public, too.

Florida’s public records and Sunshine laws safeguard the public’s right of access to government records and proceedings. Memos and e-mails, for example, are public records that must be disclosed to residents upon request.

via Coral Springs getting set for Facebook debut after state gives its OK — South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com.