Show All Answers

1. How do I request a public record?

You can request a public record in person, by mail, email or over the phone.  You do not have to give your name or the reason/purpose for which you are requesting the record.   You do not have to fill out a form; however it is best if you do to make certain we know what it is exactly you're looking for and can you provide you all that you're looking for.  It is also best to establish parameters, such as a time frame or documents of a particular type (minutes, permits, contracts, etc.) so that you are not charged for more than you want/need. 

City staff is not required to do your homework for you, so if you only want permits or contracts or whatever, don't ask for everything related to the subject matter, because our search will encompass all types of records containing those certain key words. 

Public record requests are acknowledged promptly, filled in the order in which they were received and done so in good faith.

ALL public record requests should be addressed to the City Clerk, cclk@cityofmaryesther.com or by calling 850-243-3566 ext:11. 

2. What is the charge for a public record?

Fees are established by State Statute (Chapter 119/07(4)).   When extensive time, redaction or research is involved, as Administrative Fee of $11.00/hour can also be imposed. Electronic copies are often free as they are readily available.  Public records can always be inspected instead of photocopied; however depending on the scope of the request, the Administrative Fee may apply here as well to cover the cost of monitoring the inspection.  No official or record copy of a public record will be loaned or let out of the City's possession or allowed to be reviewed without a monitor.

The City of
Mary Esther believes that openness leads to a better informed citizenry, which
leads to a better government and ultimately, better public policy. Consistent
with the premise that government, at all levels, exists first and foremost to
serve the interests of the people, it is the mission and intent of the City of
Mary Esther to, at all times, fully comply with and abide by both the spirit
and the letter of Florida Statute Chapter 119, also known as the “Public
Records Act.”

3. When is the agenda for a meeting available?

The agenda and entire supporting documentation for each item is available on our website one week prior to the meeting.  To find out more, visit our Document Center and select either AGENDAS or AGENDA PACKETS for the year and date you're interested in.   You can also sign up for notifications of when those packets are uploaded.

4. In the Document Center, why do some items have more years available than others?

The City retains items according to the State's GS1-SL schedule.  In order to be compliant, when documents are destroyed, all versions -- including the electronic copy -- must also be destroyed. Records are kept according to their retention schedule.   For example, minutes have a permanent retention while the supporting documentation (the agenda packet) for that meeting's minutes are only maintained for five (5) years. 

5. In the Document Center, why are some items in reverse date order and others not?

Our preference would be for all documents to be listed with the most recent first and working it backwards to the oldest.  However the uploading process of our new website, loads documents in the order they were selected; so all current year information has to be loaded as it becomes available, therefore making it oldest first and working its way 'down' to the most current.