St. Pete explores public record request improvements

A comprehensive report on St. Petersburg’s public records procedures provided insight into an esoteric process and the sheer volume of requests received. It also highlighted the need to incorporate new technology.

A resident sued the city in November after his public records request went unfilled for over a year. Council Chair Lisset Hanewicz has encountered similar issues and subsequently requested the Jan. 15 committee discussion.

Hanewicz stressed the importance of government transparency and couldn’t recall a previous public discussion on record request policies established in 2012. “I also have the belief that if you do come across something that can be improved, then you improve it. And that’s my goal here,” she said.

“I don’t want things to fall through the cracks,” Hanewicz added. “If there are things we can make better, let’s have an open mind so we can do that.”

The overarching goal is to ensure compliance with state law and the city’s charter, both of which mandate a timely and transparent response to records requests. Those rules and regulations apply to elected officials, the administration, staff and the city’s legal team.

Hanewicz noted that a judge would ultimately decide any disputes regarding record requests between residents and local governments. Knowingly destroying a public record or unjustifiably delaying a request are misdemeanor offenses.

City Administrator Rob Gerdes pledged to explore implementing a new document management system that provides a centralized location for records, as departments often use varying platforms. Hanewicz also advocated for an employee service level tracking mechanism, and credited the administration for conducting a related survey to discern “what they may need.”

She recalled a “couple of instances” where constituents have reached out for assistance obtaining public records. Hanewicz bemoaned the process in late September 2024 after requesting information related to the city’s handling of the Science Center’s sale, which took multiple attempts and weeks to receive.

State lawmakers often issue local government mandates without providing associated funding, Hanewicz said. She believes that is “a challenge every agency faces,” and officials must adjust personnel or processes accordingly.

The process and volume

City clerk Chandrahasa Srinivasa said St. Petersburg receives nearly 30,000 public records requests annually. That does not include “normal day-to-day business,” which would push the number closer to 50,000.

Srinivasa said other local clerk offices may only fulfill 300 annual requests. Hanewicz said it is “our responsibility to do it, whether or not it’s voluminous.”

All city employees, over 3,000, are public records custodians. Of those, 144 are specialists who work closely with the clerk’s office.

Srinivasa noted that St. Petersburg began using the internal GovQA platform to help process requests in 2014. He and Assistant City Attorney Jeanine Williams, who monitors compliance, subsequently drafted the city’s first guidebook to ensure uniformity.

“Since then, multiple jurisdictions, as well as municipalities throughout Pinellas County, throughout the State of Florida, have adopted our guidebook as their own,” Srinivasa said. “Prime example: The City of Tampa, most recently, adopted it as well.”

Any person can make a verbal or written request to view, photograph or receive a copy of documents, videos and other public records. The city should acknowledge receipt within one business day.

There are no requirements for someone to formally state that “this is a public records request,” Srinivasa said. “If they want it, we’ll make sure that they provide it.”

The city must provide information or documentation within a reasonable timeframe, “depending on the scope and nature of the request.” Srinivasa said some, including those involving the police department, could take six months.

“There’s no ‘easy button’ on some of these record requests,” he added. “Some will require a lot of time and effort to protect and safeguard individuals involved in those records.”

The guidebook states that city staff should not instruct the requester to contact the clerk’s office, “because we’re all custodians of those records,” Srinivasa said. “This is something that we stress.”

City employees also lack authorization to deny requests without permission from the legal department or the clerk’s office. Officials can charge for copies of records that require over 30 minutes of staff time to fulfill.

“We use the position, not the person, to provide the cost estimate,” Srinivasa said. “And we use the entry-level pay rate of that position.”

The city processed 16,440 records requests within and 10,528 outside of GovQA in fiscal year 2025. While the platform increases efficiency, it also removes anonymity.

State statute allows the public to use any method when requesting records. Technological advancements, which Mayor Ken Welch pledged to explore in late December, could provide a solution.

“Certainly, some things have changed related to technology,” Gerdes said. “I’ll make a commitment to you here this morning that we’ll be going back and taking a look at those.

“We have updated numerous administrative policies since Mayor Welch took office, but obviously, these have not been updated.”