Attorney fights $314K fee for Jacksonville Sheriff's Office public records request

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is responding to a local attorney’s concerns about the six-figure cost of his public records request.

Attorney John Phillips said JSO wants more than $300,000 to pull records related to a deadly crash involving one of its officers.

“I honestly don’t think anybody can afford a $314,000 case for a public records request,” Phillips said.

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Phillips turned in an official five-page records request to JSO.

The family of 63-year old Blane Land is suing the Sheriff’s Office, after he was hit and killed by a JSO cruiser while crossing University Boulevard.

Action News Jax first reported about this story in May, when the accident happened.

“What we’re looking at in this case, the Blane Land estate case, is simply issues related with prior motor vehicle wrecks and disciplinary history of this office, who even JSO, took off the road. We’re fine paying for copies, we’re fine paying to some extent so that the taxpayers don’t. But $314,000 is offensive,” Phillips said.

The amount is even shocking for Action News Jax crime and safety expert and former JSO public information officer Ken Jefferson.

“I have never, ever, seen a request of this magnitude, particularly this amount of money,” Jefferson said.

Phillips requested information dating back 10 years.

“His request is very detailed. It’s outlined, perfectly, as far as what he wants. He’s not leaving any stone unturned,” Jefferson said.

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JSO sent Action News Jax an email explaining the cost. The bulk of it is an internal affairs search-process fee, that’s $313,646.07. There is also a public records unit search-process fee of $333.96.

Jefferson said fulfilling the request should not take much time.

“Most of these files should be readily available, but what is a deterrent is that price,” Jefferson said.

JSO says the request is challenging because it's so broad and the time it says it would take to review all of the documents in question.

The Sheriff’s Office said this price is only the first estimate of two or three estimates regarding this request.

READ UNDERSHERIFF PAT IVEY'S RESPONSE TO PHILLIPS' RECORDS REQUEST (.doc) 

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