Public Records and Records Management (Policy 1.160)

Authority:	F.S. 1001.64; 119.01 et seq; 257.36 FAC Ch. 1B-24, 1B-26
Date Adopted:	10/98; Rev. 12/04; 09/09; 06/2014
Date of Review:	05/09; 08/11; 05/14

 

Policy:

It is the policy of the Board that the College shall comply with state statutes and administrative rules in the creation, maintenance, use and availability of public records and shall adhere to state schedules for the management, retention, and disposition of such records.

1. "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 the College. This encompasses all materials made or received by the College in connection with official business, which are used to perpetuate, communicate or formalize knowledge. All such materials, regardless of form, are open to public inspection unless the legislature has specifically exempted them from disclosure.
2. All public records in the custody of the College shall be open for personal inspection by any person, at reasonable times and under reasonable conditions. College custodians of public records shall furnish copies of public records upon request and upon payment of a charge, as authorized by law, for the cost of duplication and labor.
3. Requests for public records shall be responded to on a timely basis in a manner that maintains the confidentiality of records made confidential by law and recognizes exemptions from the requirements of the public records law. All requests for public records are to be directed to the Office of Legal Affairs.
4. Electronic records include data files and databases, machine readable indexes, word processing files, electronic spreadsheets, electronic mail and messages (e-mail), as well as other text or numeric information. Electronic records made in the transaction of official business of the College are public records and shall be maintained and produced for inspection, upon request, in the same manner as other public records.
5. Public records shall be retained, scheduled, and disposed of according to the General Records Schedules issued by the Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management.
6. The President shall cause a procedure to be developed for the implementation of this policy.