Public Records

One of the “hottest” issues in legal and governmental circles is the extent to which “private” emails and other electronic information can be obtained in civil litigation and used as evidence in trials. An offshoot of this topic is Florida’s very broad and citizen-friendly public records law (chapter 119, Florida Statutes) which makes virtually all government records—including emails and other electronic information—public records. These records may be obtained simply by requesting that the government agency that has custody of the documents (paper or electronic) to produce them. Agencies are sometimes hesitant to produce these documents as “smoking gun” emails have determined the outcome of many recent court cases and triggered some governmental-political scandals. KAGM attorneys can assist clients in compelling government agencies and associations to produce public records as required by law.