Editor’s Note: Sunshine Request makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Other (indicate in message) Submitted: July 7, 2022 | Updated: July 27, 2022
(July 2022) Request for St. Johns County, FL: All written correspondence related to “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project” from 01/01/2021 – present day
Hello St. Johns County, Florida Government and Board of County Commissioners (Records Officer),
I’d like to make a public records request for the following information per Florida Public Records Law:
Please provide all written correspondence between St. Johns County, St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners, and Continental Heavy Civil and Seismic Surveys, LLC, relating to the “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project.” During the specific time period of January 01, 2021 to present day (date the query is performed).
** I do not have any additional or further clarifying information to provide. If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under any public records law, statute, etc.**
————
I don’t believe I am required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by:
Sunshine Request
PO Box 17391
Asheville, NC 28816
The request has been sent solely from the email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request.
Please note that I cannot commit to sign any forms or pay any potential fees / associated costs related to any request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost.
Thank you for your assistance!
Status: Completed
Activity:
-
July 27, 2022 4:23 pm
1 year ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Betty Dixon <[email protected]>
cc: Thomas Filloramo <[email protected]>,
Jennifer Bunnell <[email protected]>
date: Jul 27, 2022, 4:23 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (July 2022) Request for St. Johns County, FL: All written correspondence related to “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project” from 01/01/2021 – present dayHi Betty,
Thank you for providing this detailed cost information.
I will now mark this request as “Completed”, and you should please cease processing at this time.
I cannot pay any potential fees or associated costs related to any of the requests I submit. I have noted the cost info you’ve provided on my website — If a future requester wishes to reach out to your office directly to pursue a request, they are encouraged to do so.
Thank you!
The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Completed -
July 27, 2022 4:09 pm
1 year ago
from: Betty Dixon <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: Thomas Filloramo <[email protected]>,
Jennifer Bunnell <[email protected]>
date: Jul 27, 2022, 4:09 PM
subject: RE: Records Request: (July 2022) Request for St. Johns County, FL: All written correspondence related to “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project” from 01/01/2021 – present dayDear Sunshine Request,
Your request is estimated to require at least four( 4) hours of staff time to locate, retrieve, and review documents responsive to your request. Per St. Johns County Administrative Code 104.6, the County may request a deposit for costs, if an extensive records search takes more than fifteen (15) minutes to locate, review for exempt information, copy (if requested), and re-file the requested material. Pursuant to section 119.07(4)(d), Florida Statutes, if the nature or volume of the records requested requires the extensive use of information technology resources, or extensive clerical or supervisory assistance, or both, the County may charge an additional special service charge based on the cost actually incurred or attributable.
The total estimated fee for your request would be 4 hours at a staff rate of $28.42 for a total fee of $113.68. A cost deposit will be required before the County will begin to collect responsive records. The remaining cost and any additional cost reflecting the actual time and cost incurred may be paid when the records are made available. If the actual cost is less than your deposit you will be refunded the difference.
If paying by check, please make your check payable to the “Board of County Commissioners” and mail or deliver to:
St. Johns County Attorney’s Office
500 San Sebastian View
St. Augustine, Florida 32084This office does not have the ability to accept online or credit card payments.
Respectfully,
Betty Dixon
Legal Services Specialist
Office of County Attorney
500 San Sebastian View
St. Augustine, FL. 32084
Office: 904-209-0817
Compassionate~Trustworthy~Innovative
Status: Clarification Provided -
July 21, 2022 5:33 pm
1 year ago
from: Jennifer Bunnell <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Jul 21, 2022, 5:33 PM
subject: Automatic reply: Records Request: (July 2022) Request for St. Johns County, FL: All written correspondence related to “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project” from 01/01/2021 – present dayI am currently out of the office until July 25th with no access to email. I will respond as soon as possible upon my return. If you need immediate assistance please call 904-209-0805.
Thank you!
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Betty Dixon <[email protected]>
cc: Thomas Filloramo <[email protected]>, Jennifer Bunnell <[email protected]>
date: Jul 21, 2022, 5:33 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (July 2022) Request for St. Johns County, FL: All written correspondence related to “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project” from 01/01/2021 – present dayHi Betty (and all CCed),
Thank you for your reply!
Just to reiterate — I cannot commit to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to any of the requests I submit. If it is not possible to process this records request without incurring fees, then please do let me know the itemized potential cost. At that point I will review and post this information on my website, and mark the request as “Completed”.
I do want to ask for some additional clarification for my future reference around the following:
I’m not as familiar with Florida Public Records Law as I am with the Laws in North Carolina — Related to fees and confidential information. NC Public Records Law states, in part, that:
“… if the request is such as to require extensive use of information technology resources or extensive clerical or supervisory assistance by personnel of the agency involved, or if producing the record in the medium requested results in a greater use of information technology resources than that established by the agency for reproduction of the volume of information requested, then the agency may charge, in addition to the actual cost of duplication, a special service charge, which shall be reasonable and shall be based on the actual cost incurred for such extensive use of information technology resources or the labor costs of the personnel providing the services, or for a greater use of information technology resources that is actually incurred by the agency or attributable to the agency. ” and that “… If it is necessary to separate confidential from nonconfidential information in order to permit the inspection, examination, or copying of the public records, the public agency shall bear the cost of such separation.”
I reviewed the St. Johns County Administrative Code 104.6 you referenced, https://ec.sjcfl.us/home/Portals/0/Media/AdminCode/AdminSection.pdf , which states similarly that:
104.5 Technology Resources
Under Florida law, if a public record request requires the extensive use of information technology resources (i.e.: archived email) or extensive clerical or supervisory assistance, the county may charge a reasonable service charge based on the cost actually incurred for the records search (Chapter 119.07(4)(d), Florida Statutes). The clerical fee involved is specific to the actual cost of the research time. The actual costs associated with each request will be assessed for the extensive work performed by each employee.104.6 Extensive Records Search
As interpreted by Florida courts, an extensive search represents clerical, supervisory or information technology resource time that takes more than 15 minutes to locate, review for confidential/exempt information, copy (if requested), and re-file the requested material. The county can also request a deposit for these costs if the work to be performed is estimated to be extensive.I have compared this against Chapter 119.07(4)(d), Florida Statutes, http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0119/Sections/0119.07.html, which states that:
(d) If the nature or volume of public records requested to be inspected or copied pursuant to this subsection is such as to require extensive use of information technology resources or extensive clerical or supervisory assistance by personnel of the agency involved, or both, the agency may charge, in addition to the actual cost of duplication, a special service charge, which shall be reasonable and shall be based on the cost incurred for such extensive use of information technology resources or the labor cost of the personnel providing the service that is actually incurred by the agency or attributable to the agency for the clerical and supervisory assistance required, or both.
I was unable to locate a specific reference or subsection of Chapter 119.07 which says that fees may be charged for separating or reviewing “confidential” or “exempt” information from a request. Can you please let me know where that is spelled out?
Thank you!
The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Clarification Requested -
July 21, 2022 11:36 am
1 year ago
from: Betty Dixon <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>, Thomas Filloramo <[email protected]>, Jennifer Bunnell <[email protected]>
date: Jul 21, 2022, 11:36 AM
subject: RE: Records Request: (July 2022) Request for St. Johns County, FL: All written correspondence related to “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project” from 01/01/2021 – present dayDear Sunshine Request,
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your public records request. St. Johns County will determine if it has any records that are responsive to your request. If any such records are located, we will compile them and redact any exempt material prior to providing them to you. Per St. Johns County Administrative Code 104.6, the County may request a deposit for costs if an extensive records search takes more than fifteen (15) minutes to locate, review for exempt information, copy (if requested), and re-file the requested material. Should it be determined that the nature or volume of the public records requested requires the extensive use of information technology resources, or extensive clerical or supervisory assistance, or both, then we will first respond with an estimate of the additional charges for the actual costs incurred, and whether a deposit will be required. In such instance, the records will be compiled only after you approve the charges and the County receives any required deposit. Payment for the total or remaining costs can be made when the records are available. If the actual cost is less than your deposit, you will be refunded the balance. If you fail to provide the cost deposit within thirty (30) days, your request will be closed.
Respectfully,
Betty Dixon
Legal Services Specialist
Office of County Attorney
500 San Sebastian View
St. Augustine, FL. 32084
Office: 904-209-0817
Compassionate~Trustworthy~Innovative
Status: Response Received from Government -
July 19, 2022 4:50 pm
1 year ago
from: Angela Cowling <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: Brad Bradley <[email protected]>, Betty Dixon <[email protected]>, Hunter Conrad <[email protected]>
date: Jul 19, 2022, 4:50 PM
subject: RE: Records Request: (July 2022) Request for St. Johns County, FL: All written correspondence related to “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project” from 01/01/2021 – present dayGood afternoon,
Public records requests are processed by Betty Dixon in the Office of the County Attorney. I have copied Ms. Dixon here for a response to your request. You can also contact Ms. Dixon directly via email at [email protected]. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Respectfully,
Angie Cowling
Assistant to the County Administrator
Office of the County Administrator
St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners
500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine FL 32084
P: (904) 209-0533 | F: (904) 209-0534www.SJCFL.us
Compassionate – Trustworthy – Innovative
PLEASE NOTE: Florida has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners and employees regarding public business are public records available to the public and media through a request. Your e-mail communications may be subject to public disclosure.
Status: Response Received from Government -
July 19, 2022 3:37 pm
1 year ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: [email protected]
cc: [email protected]
date: Jul 19, 2022, 3:37 PM
subject: Records Request: (July 2022) Request for St. Johns County, FL: All written correspondence related to “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project” from 01/01/2021 – present dayGood afternoon St. Johns County, FL Government,
I’d like to make a public records request for information that may be available in your office.
If you’re not the appropriate party to contact about the request, please provide the correct name and email address of whom I should send it to.
Please confirm receipt to let me know the request will begin processing, and if possible, please provide a rough estimate of when the request may be completed. I will plan on following up again in early August if I have not heard back before then.
Here are the details of the request:
Subject: (July 2022) Request for St. Johns County, FL: All written correspondence related to “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project” from 01/01/2021 – present day
Message: “Hello St. Johns County, Florida Government and Board of County Commissioners (Records Officer),
I’d like to make a public records request for the following information per Florida Public Records Law:
Please provide all written correspondence between St. Johns County, St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners, and Continental Heavy Civil and Seismic Surveys, LLC, relating to the “St. Johns County FEMA Dune Enhancement Project.” During the specific time period of January 01, 2021 to present day (date the query is performed).
** I do not have any additional or further clarifying information to provide. If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under any public records law, statute, etc.**
————I don’t believe I am required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by:
Sunshine Request
PO Box 17391
Asheville, NC 28816The request has been sent solely from the email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request.
Please note that I cannot commit to sign any forms or pay any potential fees / associated costs related to any request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost.
Thank you for your assistance!”
Thank you!
** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Status: Sent to Government -
July 7, 2022 5:57 pm
1 year ago
Submitted to Sunshine Request
Status: Pending