Q: While investigating a story in Florida I requested a contract. Unfortunately, the copy I was given was heavily redacted including the financial information for the project that is of public interest, what should I do?
A: It appears that Florida’s statute, Fla. Stat. section 119, governs access to public records. Here is a link:
You might want to first review this statute to see what it says about exemptions and redactions (see Section 119.07(d), which authorizes government personnel to redact information if the information falls within one of the statute’s recognized exemptions, which begin at section 119.071), as well as enforcement of the open records act should the government improperly withhold otherwise open records. You might then consider writing back to the governmental agency and ask that it specify which exemption it is claiming as to the redacted financial terms. You could also let the agency know you are willing to take full advantage of any enforcement mechanism provided in the act if they are improperly withholding this information from you.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP is general counsel for the First Amendment Coalition and responds to FAC hotline inquiries. In responding to these inquiries, we can give general information regarding open government and speech issues but cannot provide specific legal advice or representation. No attorney-client relationship has been formed by way of this response.