In Pompano Beach, the most common record custodians are:

• City Clerk's Office — the primary point of contact for most city records

• City Attorney's Office — legal opinions, contract files

• CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) — CRA-specific contracts, budgets, board materials

• Building & Permitting — permits, inspections, code enforcement

• Individual departments — for records specific to that function (Public Works, Parks & Recreation, etc.)

You do not have to know which department holds the record. You can send a request to the City Clerk and the city is obligated to route it correctly.

Pompano Beach offers three ways to make a public-records request:

1. Online portal (recommended for tracking)

The city operates a public-records request portal. Submit your request through:

City of Pompano Beach Public Records Request Portal

The portal gives you a tracking number, lets you upload follow-up documents, and creates a written record of every step — which is important if the request is ever delayed or disputed.

2. Email

You can email the City Clerk's office directly:

• City Clerk: Kervin Alfred

• kervin.alfred@copbfl.com

Subject line suggestion: "Public Records Request — [brief description]"

3. In person, by phone, or in writing

Florida law specifically says a public-records request does not have to be in writing. You can walk into City Hall and verbally ask for a record. You can call and ask. You can mail a letter.

However, I strongly recommend submitting in writing (portal or email) so you have a paper trail. If the city ever delays, denies, or undercounts your request, written documentation is what protects you.

You do not need to be a lawyer. You do not need to cite the statute. You do not need to give a reason. Florida law explicitly says the government may not ask why you want the record.

A good request has four elements:

1. What you want — describe the record clearly enough that the custodian can find it.

2. Time frame — narrow it to a date range. ("Emails from January 1 to March 31, 2026" is much faster than "all emails ever.")

3. Format — say whether you want PDFs, native files, video files, etc.

4. How to reach you — email is fine; you do not have to give your real name or a physical address.

Sample request

Subject: Public Records Request — McNab Road construction

To the City Clerk's Office,

I am requesting the following public records under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes:

1. All emails sent or received by the City Manager and the Public Works Director referencing the McNab Road construction project, from January 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026.

2. All contracts, change orders, and amendments related to the McNab Road construction project that were executed in 2024 or 2025.

3. The total amount paid to date to each contractor on this project.

Please provide responsive records in PDF format where possible. If any portion of the responsive records is being withheld or redacted, please cite the specific statutory exemption.

Please reply to this email with an acknowledgment, a tracking number, and an estimate of when the records will be available, including any associated fees.

Thank you,
[Your name or just an email address]

That's it. That's a complete, professional public-records request. Copy, edit, send.

Acknowledgment

Florida law requires the city to acknowledge your request promptly and act on it in good faith. There is no statutory clock measured in days, but courts have held that "good faith" means moving with reasonable speed, not stalling.

You should expect an acknowledgment within a few business days. If you have not heard back within a week, follow up in writing.

Fees

The city can charge:

• Copy costs — up to 15¢ per single-sided page for standard copies (FS 119.07(4)(a)).

• Extensive use fee — for requests that require "extensive" staff time, the city can charge the actual cost of the lowest-paid employee qualified to do the work (FS 119.07(4)(d)). This cannot include supervisor or attorney time unless the law specifically permits it.

• No fee to simply view records, only to copy them.

• No fee for small or routine requests — the "extensive use" fee only kicks in when significant time is required.

Always ask for a written fee estimate before agreeing to pay. If a fee estimate seems inflated, you have the right to question it and ask for a breakdown.

Timing

There is no fixed deadline in the statute. But Florida courts have ruled that "unreasonable delay" is itself a violation. Common patterns:

• Simple requests (a specific contract, a single email thread): days to a week.

• Medium requests (a few months of emails, a project file): two to four weeks.

• Large requests (years of emails across multiple custodians): can take months — but the city must show steady progress, not silence.

If you're hitting a delay, ask for a status update in writing. Document every interaction.

You have several escalation paths:

1. Ask for a supervisor

If a clerk or department staffer is unhelpful, ask politely for the supervisor or the City Clerk directly. Most issues resolve at this step.

2. File a complaint with the Florida Attorney General

The Florida AG's office maintains a Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual and accepts complaints about public-records violations. Their office can issue advisory opinions and refer matters for enforcement.

3. File a complaint with the State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit

Willful violations of Chapter 119 are a misdemeanor under Florida law, and the local State Attorney can pursue them.

4. File a civil lawsuit

Under FS 119.12, if you win a public-records lawsuit, the agency is required to pay your reasonable attorney's fees. This is a meaningful deterrent and the reason the Florida bar has attorneys who specialize in public-records cases.

5. Contact me

If you believe you are being stonewalled, send me the details: what you requested, when, who you sent it to, and what response (or non-response) you received. As your Commissioner, I will follow up. I take public-records compliance seriously and have raised systemic concerns about it publicly on multiple occasions.

You can reach me at Audrey.fesik@copbfl.com for official city business.

A few practical tips from experience

• Start small. Your first request should be narrow and specific. You'll learn how the city's process works, build a relationship with the Clerk's office, and avoid getting a fee estimate that scares you off.

• Ask for an index before you ask for documents. For large requests, ask the city to first provide a list or index of responsive records so you can narrow what you actually want copied.

• Don't accept "we don't have that" without specifics. If a record should exist (a contract was executed, a meeting was held), and the city says it doesn't have one, ask specifically: was it never created, was it destroyed, or is it being withheld? Each answer has different legal implications.

• Save everything. Save your request, the acknowledgment, every email, every reply. Build a folder. If you ever need to escalate, your documentation is your case.

• Share what you find. If you obtain records you think other residents should see, you are welcome to send them to me for posting on Pompano Perspectives — anonymously if you prefer.

Helpful links

• City of Pompano Beach Public Records Request Portal

• Chapter 119, Florida Statutes (full text)

• Florida Attorney General — Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual

• First Amendment Foundation of Florida

Pompano Perspectives is a personal transparency project maintained by Audrey Fesik in her individual capacity. No public funds, city staff time, or contract resources are used to produce it. This site is not a campaign site and accepts no contributions. The official campaign site is Audrey4Pompano.com.