How to file a Florida public records request
Florida's public records law is one of the strongest in the country. What you are entitled to, what agencies may charge, what they may not ask, and the one sentence that gets you a spreadsheet instead of a PDF.
Updated 29 August 2026 · M. Bami, Tampa
Article I, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes give you a right of access to records held by state and local agencies. It is broad, it is old, and agencies know it well.
You do not need a reason
An agency may not ask you why you want a record, and may not condition access on your answer. You do not have to give your name. You do not need to be a Florida resident, a journalist, or a lawyer.
It does not have to be in writing
A verbal request is valid. Put it in writing anyway — it starts a paper trail and it makes the scope unambiguous.
What they may charge
Actual duplication cost, which for paper is capped around $0.15 per one-sided page. For requests requiring extensive clerical or IT time, an agency may add a special service charge based on the actual cost of the staff time. They may not charge for the first look, and they may not inflate the estimate to discourage you — ask for the charge to be itemised.
The sentence that matters
Ask for the record in the format the agency already maintains it. An agency generally does not have to create a new record for you — but a database extract that already exists is an existing record. "A PDF of your permit report" invites a scanned printout; "the existing electronic extract in its native format (CSV or database export)" asks for the thing itself. This one distinction is the difference between usable data and 4,000 pages of paper.
If part of it is exempt
Exemptions are specific and must be cited. Ask them to produce the rest and cite the statute for each withheld field. Blanket refusals citing "privacy" are not a thing under Chapter 119.
A template
Under Article I, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, I request a copy of [record], for the period [dates], in the native electronic format in which your agency already maintains it. I am not requesting the creation of a new record. If any portion is exempt, please produce the remainder and cite the specific statutory exemption for each withheld field. Please provide an itemised estimate before incurring any charge over $[amount].
What we file
Every request this site files is published in full, along with what came back and what was refused. The log is here.