Interesting turn in public records request in Escambia Co.

[wrobert]

I'm confused because I thought the issue was taking one's private computer and confiscating private emails, not public. If the emails were sent to the public email address for a Commissioner, they should be able to find it on the County's server, without need to take any computer from anyone.

The example I gave you of how easy it is to catch someone was my experience on government servers. Since this whole thing has gotten so mucked up I do not know if we will ever get back on track.

Current law and court precedent say that emails covering government business are public records even if sent to private email addresses.

 

[Smiling JOe]

I don't think we are off-topic. I thought the fact is that a privately owned computer was being seized. You are saying that you sent emails to the public email address. Is it not possible for the Courts to see what goes through the County's server? I think the answer is yes, without the need to take one's personal computer.

Current law and court precedent say that emails covering government business are public records even if sent to private email addresses.

Yes, but it says nothing about private, non-gov't business emails being public record, and it sounds like you are asking that people should have the ability to go through all of one's personal, non-gov't emails to hope to find a business email. If the email was sent to the public address, it should be traceable through the County's server.

 

[wrobert]

I don't think we are off-topic. I thought the fact is that a privately owned computer was being seized. You are saying that you sent emails to the public email address. Is it not possible for the Courts to see what goes through the County's server? I think the answer is yes, without the need to take one's personal computer.

Current law and court precedent say that emails covering government business are public records even if sent to private email addresses.

Why don't you do this. Run for office, get elected, give me your private email address and I will show you how to spend some dollars defending your position. Who knows, maybe together we can make some new law.

 

[Smiling JOe]

What the heck are you talking about? I have no desire to run for office, only to be sent emails by you, then requested the emails be returned to you. Are you nuts? I'd never get any real work done. By the way, thanks for saving all the trees by asking for these paper trails.

I understand the current law. The problem with finding guilt is that you have to provide evidence, which cannot be done through unconstitutional means.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Does the Chairman of Code Enforcement also have to follow these rules? If so, sounds like he may have the potential to have his hands full if people wanted to start sending emails then requesting to receive copies of said emails which they just sent. Talk about trying to start something over nothing.

 

[Interested Girl]

I don't think we are off-topic. I thought the fact is that a privately owned computer was being seized. You are saying that you sent emails to the public email address. Is it not possible for the Courts to see what goes through the County's server? I think the answer is yes, without the need to take one's personal computer.

Yes, but it says nothing about private, non-gov't business emails being public record, and it sounds like you are asking that people should have the ability to go through all of one's personal, non-gov't emails to hope to find a business email. If the email was sent to the public address, it should be traceable through the County's server.

I think you are about to find out that in Walton County the answer to your question is NO. Give it a few days. Check U-Tube

 

[wrobert]

Does the Chairman of Code Enforcement also have to follow these rules? If so, sounds like he may have the potential to have his hands full if people wanted to start sending emails then requesting to receive copies of said emails which they just sent. Talk about trying to start something over nothing.

That is a good question. So far I have not received anything that I believe would be a public record at my email that a copy also does not exist on a government server. And I am not a custodian of any public records that I know of.

So send me something, then request it, and let us see what happens.


As for my paper trail, I get everything in electronic format so far. Although I may have to actually kill some trees, if I can not get DBPR to send me a case report as a pdf. I hate giving them $15 for a hundred pages of stuff that I probably do not need.

 

[wrobert]

What the heck are you talking about? I have no desire to run for office, only to be sent emails by you, then requested the emails be returned to you. Are you nuts? I'd never get any real work done. By the way, thanks for saving all the trees by asking for these paper trails.

I understand the current law. The problem with finding guilt is that you have to provide evidence, which cannot be done through unconstitutional means.

You have evidence to get access. Not access to get evidence.

 

[Bob Wells]

No way would you ever convince me that each and every mail that they received on an issue was marked as spam, and so what if it was. A public records request has no automatic exemption for spam, nor no automatic exemption for not knowing it was in your mailbox. If this is occurring they should be searching their spam folders also.

You are also working under the assumption that the commissioners are the ones getting the mail and reading it, which is not true. I know one of them has all the email printed out, writes a response, and has staff type the response back. Have no idea what the commissioner is going to do with the new Blackberry they were recently given.

I do admire you for standing your ground in their defense though.

They got Blackberries, wow, sometimes when communications get balled up, I bet WCFR wish they still had the direct connects on their trucks.