Public Records Requests, Public Records Litigation, Sunshine Act Litigation, Freedom of Information Litigation, Privacy Act Litigation

Florida has one of the strongest public records disclosure requirement laws of any state.  The attorneys of The Health Law Firm are experienced in representing citizens attempting to determine if a governmental agency has certain records it is keeping on them and obtaining copies or an inspection of such records.

The rights of Florida citizens to know what records the government has stems from The Florida Constitution.  However, state statutes passed by the Florida Legislature spell out in detail the rights a citizen has to know what records the government is keeping on him or her.

We have been successful in suing and obtaining access to “secret” records being kept by the Department of Health (DOH) on health professionals after their existence was denied by the agency for years.  In such cases, the citizen who is required to sue the agency is entitled to payment of his or her attorney’s fees and costs by the agency.

Federal records are covered by the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act.  These federal laws give citizens the right to know what records are being kept on them by the federal government.  These laws also give you the right to sue in federal court to obtain access to the records if it is denied by the federal agency.  The federal Privacy Act, in addition, gives you the right to correct factual misinformation that is contained in your federal records and protects your confidential federal records, such as medical records, from being released to third parties.  The federal Privacy Act also contains provisions for payment of attorney’s fees and costs if there is a violation for which the individual must sue the government.