26-1742 Adopting a Revised Public Records Policy and Procedure RESOLUTION NO. 26-1742
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF LONGWOOD, FLORIDA,ADOPTING
A REVISED PUBLIC RECORDS POLICY AND PROCEDURE;
SUPERSEDING THE PUBLIC RECORDS POLICY AND PROCEDURE
PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED BY RESOLUTION NO. 04-1092; PROVIDING
FOR IMPLEMENTATION; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS; AND
PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City of Longwood is committed to providing access to public records in
accordance with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, and other applicable provisions of Florida law;
and
WHEREAS, on July 19, 2004, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 04-1092
establishing a Public Records Policy and Procedure for City staff to follow in processing public
records requests; and
WHEREAS,the City Commission recognizes the need to periodically review and update its
administrative policies and procedures to reflect current law, technology, City operations, and
practices relating to the processing of public records requests; and
WHEREAS, the City has reviewed and revised its Public Records Policy and Procedure to
provide updated guidance regarding the processing of public records requests, charges for public
records, special service charges,the use of third-party vendors, and related procedures; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission finds that adoption of the revised Public Records Policy
and Procedure is in the best interests of the City and will promote consistent and efficient
administration of the City's responsibilities under Florida's public records laws.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
LONGWOOD, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1.ADOPTION OF REVISED PUBLIC RECORDS POLICY AND PROCEDURE.The City
Commission hereby adopts the revised City of Longwood Public Records Policy & Procedure,
attached hereto as Exhibit "A" and incorporated herein by reference.
SECTION 2. SUPERSEDING PRIOR POLICY. The Public Records Policy and Procedure
adopted pursuant to Resolution No. 04-1092 is hereby superseded and replaced in its entirety by
the revised Public Records Policy & Procedure adopted pursuant to this Resolution.
SECTION 3. IMPLEMENTATION. The City Clerk and other appropriate City officials and
employees are authorized and directed to implement and administer the Public Records Policy&
Procedure adopted by this Resolution.
SECTION 4. CONFLICTS. All resolutions or parts of resolutions in conflict with this
Resolution are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict.
Resolution No.26-1742
Page 1 of 2
SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its
passage and adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS 5th DAY OF OCTOBER 2026.
► o n City Commission
` City of Longwood, Florida
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,,w� ,• • Tony B Mayor;
ATTEST: d • '�•�''or
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Liane Cartagena, City Clerk
Approved as to form and legality for the use and reliance of the City of Longwood, Florida, only.
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Daniel W. La e , City Attorney
Resolution No.26-1742
Page 2 of 2
City of Longwood
Public Records Policy & Procedure
The City of Longwood shall comply with Chapter 119, Florida Statues.
L Purpose:
To comply with the public records law and establish consistent procedures for efficient
processing of public records.
II. Policy:
A. It is the policy of the State of Florida that all state,county, and municipal
records,except those exempted by law, shall at all times be open for personal
inspection, examination,and/or copying.
B. Public Records means all documents,papers, letters,maps, books,tapes,
photographs, films, sound recordings, emails,text messages, electronic
communications, digital files, database records, or other material,regardless
of the physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission,made or
received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction
of official business.
III. Procedures:
A. Processing Public Records Requests.
1. Requests for Readily Available Documents:
Readily Available Documents are those that are easily retrievable, regularly
disseminated to the public and do not require additional review in order to
determine whether they contain exempt information.Any employee who
receives a request for this type of information should comply by providing
review and/or a copy of the information as requested. When the documents are
readily available,there should not be any charge for the labor in retrieving the
requested documents,provided the cumulative retrieval time does not exceed
thirty (30)minutes; any request exceeding that threshold shall be processed in
accordance with Section III.A.2. Any copies purchased by the requestor should
be charged as provided by City policy.
If a request for public records is not readily available, staff should e-mail the
request to the City Clerk in order to coordinate obtaining the public records.
2. Requests for Other Documents:
a. Although it cannot be required of them when asking for numerous
different public records,the requestor should be encouraged to put their
public records requests in writing. This will assist staff in clarifying the
exact scope of the request. Requestors should specify whether they
wish to simply inspect records or obtain copies. Staff may ask,but
cannot require,the requestor to provide their name, address, or
telephone number for purposes of responding to the request. Staff shall
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not require the requestor to disclose the reason for the request as a
condition of fulfillment.
b. Departments receiving an e-mailed public records request from the City
Clerk will respond to the City Clerk as soon as possible as to whether
they have any responsive documents and what the estimated amount of
retrieval time will be. If any of the responsive documents are stored off-
site,the office will immediately notify the City Clerk and will request the
retrieval of the responsive records.
c. If departments retrieval of the records will take thirty (30)minutes or
more,the City Clerk shall be informed in order to contact the requestor
with an estimated labor charge for the retrieval. Departments should
provide the City Clerk with the name and hourly pay rate of the
employee who will be doing the retrieval. The benefits multiplier, as
established by the Finance Department, shall be added to the labor
charge.
d. The City Clerk shall notify the requestor of the estimate and confirm
whether the requestor is willing to pay the labor charges and copying
charges, if any.The City Clerk will confirm with the requestor that the
city must be paid in advance of the requestor s receipt of the records.
For large requests(those requiring more than$50 in labor charges or more
than $15 in copy charges),the city shall require an advance deposit prior
to beginning retrieval. If the requestor fails to remit the remaining balance
or retrieve the records within thirty (30) days after being notified that the
records are available,the request shall be deemed abandoned and the deposit
shall be forfeited to cover costs incurred by the City.
e. The City shall make every reasonable effort to respond to public records
requests as promptly as practicable,with a goal of responding within
forty-eight(48)hours of their receipt where feasible. The City Clerk
shall be responsible for monitoring response times. Responses to
complex,voluminous, or redaction-intensive requests may require
additional time. Readily available documents shall be furnished
immediately.
f. Requests for documents which may contain information which is exempt
from disclosure under Florida law may be delayed until the records can be
reviewed and redacted as necessary. When any portion of a record is
withheld or redacted, staff shall identify the specific statutory exemption
relied upon and provide that citation to the requestor.
g. Florida law provides a schedule for the length of retention of various
types of public records. Staff shall contact the City Clerk for assistance
in determining the correct retention schedules and to arrange for
destruction in accordance with the state mandated procedures. In no
event shall staff proceed with destruction of records that are subject
of a current public records request, records that are currently at
issue in pending or reasonably anticipated litigation,or records
subject to a litigation hold or preservation directive.The destruction
of public records by city staff other than by the City Clerk or the
Custodian of Records of the Police Department must be approved in
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writing by the City Manager.
3. Media Requests:
Requests from the media for public records shall be handled consistently with
the procedures outlined above.
B. Charges for Public Records.
1. General:
a. The charge for duplication of a one-sided letter size(8-1/2 x 11), legal
size (8-1/2 x 14) or oversize (11 x 17) document,capable of being
reproduced on existing city equipment, shall be fifteen cents ($.15)per
copy. Duplication of two-sided pages shall be twenty cents ($.20)per
copy.
b. For large, single documents not covered above(i.e.,blueprints,maps,
plats, etc.),the charge shall be the actual cost to the city for outside
reproduction.
c. For books and other multi-page volumes printed by the city (i.e.,annual
budget, Longwood Historic District Code Book, Longwood Historic
District Master Plan),the charge shall be the actual cost to the city for
outside reproduction.
d. The charge for computer printouts shall be fifteen cents ($.15)per page,
consistent with standard duplication charges, unless specialized printing is
required, in which case the charge shall reflect the actual cost to the City.
e. The charge for city maps shall be one dollar and twenty-five cents
($1.25)per map.
f. The charge for a City Charter shall be two dollars ($2.00)per copy.
g. The charge for a City Code(without a binder)shall be thirty-five dollars
($35.00)per copy.
h. The charge for Supplements to the City Code shall be twenty-five dollars
($25.00)per year.
i. The charge for a Comprehensive Plan shall be ten dollars($10.00)per
copy.
j. Planimetric and topographic maps, 1 sheet, 1 section, 1 inch=200 feet
shall be fifteen dollars($15.00).
k. Planimetric mapping only, 1 sheet, 1 section, 1 inch=200 feet shall be
twelve dollars ($12.00).
1. Planimetric mapping only, 1 sheet,_section, 1 inch=100 feet shall be ten
dollars($10.00).
m. Aerial photograph, 1 sheet, 1 section, 1 inch=200 feet shall be five dollars
($5.00).
n. The charge for a certified copy of public record shall be one dollar($1.00)
per certification,plus the applicable copying charges.
2. Multi-Media Public Records Requests:
a. If a photographic reproduction is requested,the charge shall be
$3.50 each for 5"x 7" prints and$7.00 each for 8"x 10"prints.
b. The charge for copies of audio or video recordings (except for third
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party vendor use regarding audio/video records addressed by separate
policy) shall be two dollars($2.00) per recording, or the actual cost of
the media(e.g.,USB drive,CD,or digital transfer),whichever is
greater,plus any applicable labor charges under Section III.B.4.
3. Information Systems:
The charge for output to any other medium(i.e.,USB drive,compact disk,email,
or other electronic transmission) shall be the actual cost to the City for such
medium or transmission.When records are maintained electronically,the City shall
provide copies in the electronic format in which the records are maintained, if
requested, subject to applicable charges.
4. Special Service Charges:
A request shall be deemed to require "extensive" use of information technology
resources or clerical or supervisory assistance if such request requires 30 minutes
or more to complete. Labor charges for clerical or supervisory assistance shall be
calculated based on the employee's hourly rate of pay plus the benefits multiplier
as established by the Finance Department,multiplied by the actual time worked to
accommodate the request and measured in quarters of an hour. Costs for
information technology resources shall be calculated based on the actual costs of
using such resources incurred by the City, including costs charged by third-party
vendors. Due to the nature and complexity of the technology involved, all public
records requests for body camera videos shall be deemed an extensive use of
information technology resources.
5. Third-Party Vendors:
Due to the extensive technology information resources necessary to review,redact,
and respond to public records requests involving body camera footage and certain
other forms of audio/visual records, the City may engage the services of one or
more outside vendors with specialized information technology resources to
supplement the services of City staff. For any records request where an outside
vendor is required, an initial non-refundable deposit shall be required prior to the
final estimate of total project cost. The initial deposit shall be calculated as the
actual cost incurred by the City for 30 minutes of review time by the vendor and
30 minutes of the City's Record Specialist clerical time shall be considered pre-
payment for review rather than a separate charge.Upon completion of the vendor's
review, the City shall provide the requestor with a final cost estimate; the
remaining balance must be paid in full before the records are released.
6. Revenue Collection and Receipts:
A receipt for payment of costs associated with public records request shall
be given to the requestor upon payment of the levied fee.
IV. Forms:
Request for Copies/Service Form
V. Effective Date:
Originally adopted by the City Commission on July 19, 2004. Current revised version
adopted by the City Commission on October 5, 2026.
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