The Florida Public Records Law states:

It is the policy of this state that all state, county, and municipal records shall at all times be open for a personal inspection by any person. Providing access to public records is a duty of each agency. Every person who has custody of a public record shall permit the record to be inspected and copied by any person desiring to do so, at any reasonable time, under reasonable conditions, and under supervision by the custodian of the public records.​ ​​​

How to Request Public Records from the Children’s Board

​​If you would like to make a public records request, you may do so by contacting the Interim Children’s Board Records Custodian, Trish James at:

E-mail – jamest@childrensboard.org;

Phone – (813) 204-1782;

Fax – (813) 204-1709; or

In person – Children’s Board Administrative Office – 1002 E Palm Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605.

Public Records

Florida law requires agencies to furnish public records in the format requested if they exist in that format. Therefore, records that exist in paper format will be provided in paper format and records that exist in electronic format will be provided in electronic format.

If your request is to inspect records, rather than receive copies, the Children’s Board will notify you once the records are gathered, and an appointment will be made with you for inspection at the Children’s Board Administrative Office during normal business hours.

Requests must be for records in the possession of or prepared, owned, used, or retained by the Children’s Board, and requests should be for sufficiently identifiable records. Copies will not be provided if the information is confidential or otherwise exempt from public inspection or copying under the Public Records Law. Confidential information will be deleted or excised from records prior to inspection, examination, or distribution of copies.

If a request is insufficient to identify the documents sought, you will be contacted as soon as possible for clarification. You will be notified if copies of the requested public records are not in the possession of or prepared, owned, used, or retained by the Children’s Board and/or otherwise not subject to disclosure.

The Children’s Board will review your request and respond with a production time and cost estimate as soon as reasonably possible. You will be notified of the approximate number of pages/files and/or length of time we estimate it will take to process your request. If necessary, an estimated cost breakdown will be sent to you and payment (if applicable) must be received prior to releasing records.

Fees for Children’s Board Public Records

If the nature or volume of public records requested to be inspected, examined, or copied is such as to require extensive use of information technology resources, or extensive clerical or supervisory assistance by Children’s Board personnel, the requestor will be charged the least costly fully-burdened hourly pay of the staff person, and/or special service charges which are based on the actual cost incurred for the extensive use of resources in furnishing or copying the information requested. The special service charges apply to requests for both inspection and copies of public records. Requestors must pay for copies prior to receiving them. Payment may be submitted by check or money order (payable to the Children’s Board).

Paper copies on standard paper sizes: $0.15 per one-s​ided copy, $0.20 per two-sided copy (additional $1.00 for certified copy)

Data, audio or video on copied CD or DVD: $1.00 each

If materials are to be mailed, the actual cost of postage will be added.

Electronic record copies: if there are no fees for the records and the total record file size is within the range allowed for Children’s Board email communications, the agency point of contact for public records will release the records to the requestor via e-mail.​

For further clarification please refer to the Florida Public Records Law (Florida Statutes, Section 119.01 et seq.).