Police Liability payout record request from Sun Sentinel (Village Clerk)

Dear Mr. Ariza, the Village will certainly make every effort to comply with the request as best we can. The Village is insured through the Florida League of Cities, and I have copied both our representative and counsel that address our claims. As to the specific information and means of supplying it, as you know the law only requires to produce what we have and we are not obligated to create documents. Hopefully, we can provide all that you have requested, and in the format you requested. In any event we will try to comply as fully as possible. Please note that I will be your contact person and your can reach me at:
jdellagloria@plamettobay-fl.gov<mailto:jdellagloria@plamettobay-fl.gov>; (305) 431-0704.

Dear Mr. Ariza:

This email is to acknowledge that the Village Clerk’s office is in receipt of your request for documents that show how much your municipal corporation, its legal representatives, or its liability insurance carriers have paid out in civil court since 1/1/10 because of actions of its police professionals. We are requesting the electronic delivery of an excel spreadsheet with the following information::

1. An identifying number for the claim
2. The loss date
3. An incident indicator description (such as “excessive force, k-9 bite, false arrest/imprisonment, etc.)
4. Incurred expenses
5. Incurred liability
6. Incurred legal expenses
7. Paid legal expenses
8. Paid total
9. Incurred total

This records pull should be interpreted to cover both federal and state court claims. If some of the above figures are not available because of your accounting practices, please endeavor to provide us with as full a picture as possible of the $$$ paid out by your municipality due to lawsuits against its police officers over the past ten years.

Your request has been logged as Public Records Request 2021-026 and will be submitted to Village Administration. The Village Attorney, John C. Dellagloria will be your contact for this public record request.

Florida law states that an agency must respond within a "limited reasonable time." This is the time it takes to review the request, search, retrieve and process records for release. Some requests may only take a few minutes while others may take weeks. The length of time it takes largely depends on activity, volume and scope, but the City is committed to providing requested records as quickly and efficiently as possible. Florida Statute 119.01, referred to as the Florida Sunshine Law, governs the publics’ right to inspect and obtain copies of public records. The Office of the Attorney General’s Government-In-The-Sunshine Manual contains additional helpful information, including summaries of what exemptions apply to public records requests. Anyone can request a public record in person, verbally over the telephone, in an email, or in writing. You do not have to give your name or explain why you are making a request. The Village of Palmetto Bay will provide all documents in the format in which we have them. We are not required to create documents in response to Public Records requests. There may be a fee associated with your request. If so, you will be notified in advance. To view a copy of the Village’s existing Public Record Request Policy, please click HERE.

Sincerely,

Melissa Dodge
Administrative Assistant/Passport Acceptance Agent
Office of the Village Clerk
Village of Palmetto Bay
9705 East Hibiscus Street
Palmetto Bay, FL 33157
Ph: 305-259-1234
Fax: 305-259-1290

PLEASE NOTE: Florida has very broad public record laws. Most written communications to or from local officials regarding official business are public records available to the public and media upon request. Your e-mail communications may therefore be subject to public disclosure.

Mario, right, and again, you can contact me any time. John Dellagloria, Village Attorney

Dear Mr. Ariza:

Attached is the response related to your public record request logged as 2021-026. The response is located within the outlook item attached to this email.

Sincerely,

Melissa Dodge
Administrative Assistant/Passport Acceptance Agent
Office of the Village Clerk
Village of Palmetto Bay
9705 East Hibiscus Street
Palmetto Bay, FL 33157
Ph: 305-259-1234
Fax: 305-259-1290

PLEASE NOTE: Florida has very broad public record laws. Most written communications to or from local officials regarding official business are public records available to the public and media upon request. Your e-mail communications may therefore be subject to public disclosure.