Though the agenda item shows no legal consideration or sign-off for County Administrator Janice Gilley’s request to change public record disclaimers, the county has provided a series of emails that show County Attorney Alison Rogers did review the recommendation and made some changes.
The changes were not made to the agenda item posted on the website as of 4 p.m. today:
From: Janice P. Gilley <JanicePGilley@myescambia.com>
Sent: Monday, June 14, 2021 3:14 PM
To: Laura A. Coale <lacoale@myescambia.com>
Subject: Fwd: Changes to PRR Language and Email Notification to include IP Address
Best,
Janice P. Gilley
County Administrator
221 Palafox Place
Pensacola, Florida 32502
From: Alison A. Rogers <aarogers@co.escambia.fl.us>
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2021, 11:02 AM
To: Janice P. Gilley
Cc: Beth Haley; Alain Espinosa; Beth Haley
Subject: RE: Changes to PRR Language and Email Notification to include IP Address
I gave a comment to Sharon in hard copy this morning. Just a suggestion, not necessary for legal purposes.
Editor’s note: They are in bold in Siders’ email.
From: Janice P. Gilley <JanicePGilley@myescambia.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 9, 2021 10:03 AM
To: Alison A. Rogers <aarogers@co.escambia.fl.us>
Cc: Beth Haley <MEHALEY@myescambia.com>
Subject: Fwd: Changes to PRR Language and Email Notification to include IP Address
Please let me know if you have concerns or edits.
Thank you.
Best,
Janice P. Gilley
County Administrator
221 Palafox Place
Pensacola, Florida 32502
From: Bart Siders <WSIDERS@myescambia.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 9:24:24 AM
To: Janice P. Gilley <JanicePGilley@myescambia.com>
Subject: Changes to PRR Language and Email Notification to include IP Address
Janice: Based on recent apprehensions concerning the County disclosing IP addresses of constituents, we need to make the following changes on the County’s Applications/Websites:
On the MGO Public Records Request site we allow a constituent to Proceed Anonymously (See Below)
We need to request MGO to put a disclaimer like the one below on this page:
“What if I want to remain anonymous? To submit a public records request anonymously, you will not be able to use the online service or email. Instead, you can call Escambia County Administration at (850) 595 4936; or stop by Escambia County Administration, 221 Palafox Place, Suite 420, Pensacola. PLEASE NOTE: Each anonymous request will be provided a reference number necessary for all follow-up inquiries.
We will also need to change the language on our County Website: (See Below):
Public Records/FOIA Requests (myescambia.com) (Third Paragraph)
“When making a request, you will not be required to give your name or provide the reason for a request as a condition of fulfilling the request. Your request may be made by phone, letter or email. Under Florida law, email addresses and IP addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address or IP address released in response to a public records request, do not send your request electronically but make your request via phone.”
We will also need to change the language that is tagged onto all County emails. (See Below)
Florida has a very broad public records law. Under Florida law, both the content of emails, email addresses and IP addresses are public records. If you do not want the content of your email, your email address, or your IP address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in person.
Please let me know if need me to provide you with any other information.
Escambia County IT Director
w 850-595-1678 | m 850-377-5233
Please remember to register for account unlock and password reset at https://ssp.myescambia.com
Florida has a very broad public records law. Under Florida law, both the content of emails and email addresses are public records. If you do not want the content of your email or your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in person.
