Public Record Requests

Government In The Sunshine

The Supervisor of Elections office, a constitutional office of the City of Jacksonville, supports the Florida “Government in the Sunshine” laws, designed to provide transparency and openness in government operations. “It is the policy of this state that all state, county, and municipal records are open for personal inspection and copying by any person. Providing access to public records is a duty of each agency” [(F.S. 119.01(1)

The Florida law on “Public Records” may be found in its entirety here: Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes.

Public records “means all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software, or other material, regardless of physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any agency.” [FS 119.011(12)] Public records are used to perpetuate, communicate or formalize knowledge. Other examples include: emails, videos, audiotapes, CDs, DVDs, postings on Facebook and Twitter. Records in the custody of the Supervisor of Elections are available for inspection by any person, at any reasonable time, under reasonable conditions, and under supervision by the custodian of the public records, with the exception of those records specifically exempted or made confidential by law.


Requesting records/information

A request may be made by e-mail SOEPRR@coj.net, mail, in person, or by calling (904) 255-8683. Inspection of records may take place during normal business hours. Records will be made available as quickly as is practical after a request is made. SOE staff will provide non-exempt voter information in response to a phone call or email.

A requester may remain anonymous when asking for public records. The request does not have to not be in writing and the reason for asking does not have to be stated.

Please help us be responsive to your request by asking for documents by title or with sufficient specificity so that we are able to correctly identify and locate the requested records.


Elections records exemptions

The following is a listing (not exhaustive) of applicable exempted information Voter applicant’s/Registered Voter’s:

• Social security number
• Florida driver license/State ID card number
• Voter registration agency where a person registered to vote or updated his/her voter registration
• Signature (may not be copied, only viewed)
• A person’s choice to decline to register or update record
• Absentee Ballot Request information (restricted to canvassing board, election official, political party or official thereof, a qualified, opposed candidate, a registered political committee, a committee of continuous existence, and a voter (his/her information only)


On-site inspection of records

This office will provide assistance free of charge, except when it requires extensive time (in excess of 15 minutes) by personnel to provide the records (including the time it takes to search for the records; remove exempt data; photocopy the record, if necessary, for redaction; protect the records during inspection, and re-file the records). The requester will be informed of the estimated time of completion and an estimate of the cost. The estimated cost will be required to initiate production.


Hard copy costs

Florida law authorizes the SOE to charge for the production (copying) of public records. Pricing schedule is as follows: 

Certified Copy  1.00
 
First 5 pages (8.5 x 11 or 8.5 x 14) FREE
Single page (1 sided) .15
Single page (2 sided) .20
Color copies 1.00
Mailing labels (per sheet/20 labels) .50
CD/DVD $5.00
Electronic files (PDF format) emailed FREE*
Large copy job(over 100), first 20 pages free
   Subsequent pages .15/.20
   Estimate provided/50% deposit required to initiate production
 
Bound book report, prevailing copy charges plus materials                                             
 * If research requires 15 minutes or more and/or involves the engagement of two or
more staff members whose aggregate time is 15 minutes or more, the requester will
be charged for that time at the hourly rate of compensation for each employee involved, rounded down to the nearest half hour. Payment of the estimated billing is required before we commence work on the request.
 

Maps 

PDF/electronic file  FREE
Large map b&w (Larger than 11 x 17 and up to 34 x 44) $15.00
Large color map (Larger than 11 x 17 and up to 34 x 44) $25.00
8.5 x 11 color copy                                                                                         $1.00 per page
11 x 17 color copy $2.00 per page
8.5 x 11 black/white $   .15 per page
11 x 17 black/white $1.50 per page

Electronic information requests

For requests that cannot be filled by the SOE and require the service of City of Jacksonville ITD (Information Technology Department), additional costs will apply. ITD is budgeted as an Internal Service Fund. This fund is used to account for the financing of goods and services provided by one department to other departments or agencies of the city, other governments or by the requester, on a reimbursable basis. In short, every action taken by ITD must be paid for by the organization or individual utilizing that service. For example, broad requests for archived emails would require ITD services. ITD will present an estimate of the cost of fulfilling the request. Potential charges are: ITD analyst time, media or paper copies, and system resource charges.


Fulfillment time frame

The SOE office responds quickly to requests via email. Public record requests can be fulfilled electronically with scanned documents, pdf files, text files in .csv format and other Microsoft Office formatted documents. The SOE office will make every effort to meet the time frame indicated by the requester. If the request is complex and involves a variety of sources, the SOE will provide data in phases if necessary.


Disclaimer assumed on all data/maps provided in response to records requests

Data, maps and information released from the Duval County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) are provided in response to a public records request on an “AS IS” basis. The Duval County Supervisor of Elections and staff make no representation or warranty, express or implied, including without limitation any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or warranties as to the identity or ownership of data or information, the quality, accuracy or completeness of data or information, or that the use of such data or information will not infringe any patent, intellectual property or proprietary rights of any party. The SOE shall not be liable for any claim for any loss, harm, illness or other damage or injury from access to or use of data or information, including without limitation any direct, indirect, incidental, exemplary, special or consequential damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. It is the responsibility of the requester to verify the data or information/maps released meet the specifications indicated.


Payment, receipts and handling of money

Payment is due at the time of order. The SOE office accepts cash, checks, money orders and cashier checks. Please make checks payable to the Supervisor of Elections. Credit cards are not accepted. A receipt will be provided.

 (February 2024)