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City council director explains public‑records process to TRUE Commission; offers guidance on costs and scope
Summary
Jason Teal, council director and secretary, told the TRUE Commission that routine public‑records requests taking 30 minutes or less are not charged, while broad requests that consume many staff hours may incur recoverable costs under Florida law; he recommended commissioners vet requests as a body before asking staff to comply.
Jason Teal, director and secretary for the City Council, briefed the TRUE Commission on Aug. 7 about how the council handles public‑records requests and the practical limits of staff resources.
Teal said the council’s approach balances the public’s right to records with the cost of compliance. “If a public records request comes in, that is going to take a half hour or less of staff time to be able to comply with that public records request, then we don't charge for it,” he said, noting that Florida law permits recovery of reasonable costs for more time‑consuming requests.
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