WFTV, Inc. v. School Bd. of Seminole

874 So. 2d 48, 32 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2078, 2004 Fla. App. LEXIS 6711, 2004 WL 1072839
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedMay 14, 2004
Docket5D03-2118
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 874 So. 2d 48 (WFTV, Inc. v. School Bd. of Seminole) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
WFTV, Inc. v. School Bd. of Seminole, 874 So. 2d 48, 32 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2078, 2004 Fla. App. LEXIS 6711, 2004 WL 1072839 (Fla. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

874 So.2d 48 (2004)

WFTV, INC., Appellant,
v.
The SCHOOL BOARD OF SEMINOLE, etc., et al, Appellee.

No. 5D03-2118.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.

May 14, 2004.

Jonathan D. Kaney, Jr., Jonathan D. Kaney, III, and Andrea M. Kurak, Daytona Beach, for Appellant.

David S. Bralow, Senior Counsel, Tribune Company, Orlando, Amici Curiae, Florida Media Organizations.

Ned N. Julian, Sanford, for Appellee.

PER CURIAM.

WFTV, Inc., ("WFTV"), appeals the trial court's denial of access to student records maintained by the School Board of Seminole County. We affirm the denial, adopt in part, the opinion authored by Judge McIntosh and certify a question with respect to the extent of an exemption applicable to student records:

I. The Stipulated Facts.

WFTV, is a Florida corporation having its principal place of business in *49 Orlando, Florida where it operates a broadcast television station as WFTV— Channel 9 within a viewing area that includes Seminole County and East Central Florida. The School Board of Seminole County, Florida, (the "Board"), is a body corporate of the State of Florida in which is vested the power to act as the governing body of the School District of Seminole County pursuant to section 230.21, Florida Statutes (2002). The Board operates a school bus transportation system including approximately 420 buses and 350 routes that transported students over a total of 7.1 million miles in the past school year.

The Superintendent is the executive officer of the Board in whom is vested among other powers, the custody of all records and properties of the Board. § 230.21; 230.33(3) and (4). The Board and its Superintendent are agencies of the State of Florida within the meaning of section 119.011(2), Florida Statutes (2002), and "public officers" of the state within the meaning of Art. I, section 24(a), Florida Constitution. At all times and in all respects relevant to this complaint, the Superintendent and his subordinate employees and attorneys have been acting on behalf of the Board in their official capacities.
The Board, the Superintendent, or any subordinate employees, or either or any of them, are custodians of the public records to which WFTV seeks access in this suit.[1] Patti Parker, (the "Producer"), is a news producer employed by WFTV and assigned to reporting and gathering news for use by WFTV in broadcasting news. In all respects material to this complaint, the Producer has been acting on behalf of WFTV in her capacity as an investigative news producer engaged in news gathering activities for WFTV. During December of 2001 and January of 2002, by and through the written and oral communications of the Producer, WFTV requested access to the Requested Records.
Certain records were made or received by the Board, the Superintendent, or their subordinates in the course of performing their duties as the governing body, chief executive officer, or subordinates thereof, of the public schools of the Seminole County School District. Certain of these records are the subject of this action. Solely for purposes of definitional clarity in this case, the parties stipulated and agreed with respect to each of the following terms that when such terms are used with initial capital letters, they shall have the precise meaning stipulated in the following paragraphs:
WFTV has requested access to certain records for inspection or copying, but the scope of the request is limited to such records as redacted to exclude Personally Identifiable Information. The term, "Requested Records" means the records described as follows:
i. Transportation Student Discipline Forms (redacted).
ii. Surveillance Videotape (redacted).
It was not intended that the Requested Records would include any information, files, or data which permit the personal identification of a student. WFTV made reasonable requests for access to the Requested Records. The Board and Superintendent through various delegates and agents denied WFTV's request for access to the Requested Records.
*50 The Subject Records include "Transportation Student Discipline Forms." The Transportation Student Discipline Forms are incident reports which reflect incidents among students aboard the buses that require follow up in some manner by school district administrators. The Transportation Student Discipline Forms are "records and reports" within the meaning of section 228.093(2)(e) and are maintained by the Defendants by reference to the names of particular students.
The Subject Records also include "Surveillance Videotape." The Surveillance Videotape shows views of students while riding on the school buses, including identifiable facial features. The Board does not maintain the Surveillance Videotape permanently. When a segment of Surveillance Videotape is relevant to a student disciplinary question, the tape or portion thereof is filed and retained by the Board as an Education Record. In other cases, the Surveillance Videotape is not preserved and the tape is re-used, which erases the former images and replaces them with new images.[2] WFTV's request is addressed to those Surveillance Video Tapes which are maintained as Education Records as described above. All segments of Surveillance Videotape now in the custody of the Board are Education Records maintained by the Defendants by reference to the names of particular students.
* * *

II. The Stipulated Issue of Law.

Whether the School Board is obligated to produce records and reports (as defined in section 228.093(2)(e)) under Art. I, section 24(a), Florida Constitution and section 119.07(l) and (2), or whether those records and reports and any information contained therein are exempt under section 228.093, Florida Statutes (2001).[3]

III. Conclusions of Law and Analysis.

The court's analysis of the legal issue presented begins with review of Art. I, section 24 of the Florida Constitution. Art. I, section 24, Access to public records and meetings, provides, in relevant part, as follows:
(a) Every person has the right to inspect or copy any public record made or received in connection with the official business of any public body, officer, or employee of the state, or persons acting on their behalf, except with respect to records exempted pursuant to this section or specifically made confidential by this Constitution. This section specifically includes the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government and each agency or department created thereunder; counties, municipalities, and districts; and each constitutional officer, board, and commission, or entity created pursuant to law or this Constitution.
(b) * * *
(c) This section shall be self-executing.
*51 * * *
(d) All laws that are in effect on July 1, 1993 that limit public access to records or meetings shall remain in force, until they are repealed.[4] * * *
Section 228.093(3), Florida Statutes (2001) provides for the rights of students and their parents with regard to the student's educational records, in relevant part, as follows:

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874 So. 2d 48, 32 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2078, 2004 Fla. App. LEXIS 6711, 2004 WL 1072839, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wftv-inc-v-school-bd-of-seminole-fladistctapp-2004.