A live worked example using the Stevens method and Florida Chapter 119

There’s a story developing in Broward County right now.

A city is in the middle of a high-stakes public safety decision — whether to break a decades-long contract with the Broward Sheriff’s Office and form its own police and fire departments. The debate is loud, political, and closely watched by every other municipality in the county that contracts with BSO.

And then something unusual happens.

A commissioner from a different BSO contract city shows up at a commission meeting — not his own city’s meeting — and speaks during public comment. His message: stay with BSO.

A local official noticed. Flagged it to me. And now I have a firsthand attribution and a specific name.

That’s not the end of the story. That’s the beginning of the records request.

Why this moment matters

On its face, a commissioner showing up at a neighboring city’s meeting isn’t illegal. Public comment is public comment.

But it raises a question that records can answer:

Was this spontaneous — or was it coordinated?

Specifically:

• Did BSO ask him to go?
• Did anyone at his own city encourage it?
• Is he one of several contract city officials being quietly mobilized?

None of those questions can be answered by watching the meeting video. All of them can potentially be answered by public records.

The strategic problem with one big request

The instinct when you have a good tip is to fire a wide request: give me everything related to X.

Don’t.

One broad request gives the agency three weapons against you:

1. Delay — citing extensive use, complexity, volume
2. Signal — they now know exactly what you’re hunting before you have anything
3. Bundle — your most sensitive ask gets buried in a pile of routine documents

The Stevens method breaks this differently. You file narrow, sequenced requests — each one defensible on its own, each one informed by what the last one returned.

The three-request sequence I filed

Request 1

Target: The commissioner’s outbound communications about the other city’s decision and his appearance there.

One named official. One defined subject. Hard to slow-walk. Hard to claim exemption on the core ask. Gets you his emails, texts, and direct messages — including on personal accounts used for city business (Florida law covers those).

This request also does something else: it creates a timestamp. The agency now knows you’re looking. Watch how fast they respond. The speed of acknowledgment on Request 1 is a data point.

Request 2

Target: Communications between any city official or staff member and any BSO representative — specifically about the other city’s decision, and about any coordination for city officials to appear at outside meetings.

This is the coordination question. If BSO asked him to show up, it lives here — in the channel between BSO and the city. Filing it separately prevents it from being bundled with Request 1 and keeps the scope tight enough that it can’t be dismissed as a fishing expedition.

Request 3

Target: Internal communications among commissioners and city staff about the other city’s split — including any references to meetings or calls involving officials from multiple BSO contract cities.

This is your highest-value long-shot. If there’s a coordinated campaign — BSO quietly mobilizing friendly commissioners across multiple cities — it surfaces here. You file it last because by then, Requests 1 and 2 have already created a paper trail. The agency knows you’re not going away.

Two clauses that do a lot of work

Every request includes these two elements explicitly:

“…on any device or account, including personal accounts used to conduct City business…”

This closes the personal-phone dodge. Florida law is clear: if a public official uses personal email or texts to conduct public business, those are public records. Naming it in the request puts them on notice.

“If any responsive records are withheld, please identify each withheld record by category and cite the specific statutory exemption claimed.”

This forces them to create a withholding log. That log is itself a public record. It tells you what they’re hiding and under what theory — which tells you where to push next, and in some cases is more revealing than the documents themselves.

What I’m watching for

• Asymmetric response times. Request 1 comes back fast and clean. Request 3 stalls. That gap is a data point.
• Exemption logs that are too detailed. An agency that over-explains why something is exempt is often signaling that the thing underneath is significant.
• The cross-reference test. Whatever this commissioner says he sent should match what the other city received. After these requests come back, the next filings go to the receiving city and to BSO. Gaps between those three sets of records are where the story lives.

Why Florida is good for this

Chapter 119 is one of the strongest public records laws in the country. No reason required. No identity required. Personal accounts used for public business are covered. The agency must acknowledge promptly and respond in good faith. If they don’t, the path to enforcement — and attorney’s fees — is reasonably clear.

The portal is NextRequest. The custodian is the City Clerk. The statute is your standing.

The bigger lesson

The tip here was a single sentence from a credible source: this person showed up and said this.

That’s enough to file. You don’t need documents to justify requesting documents.

The tip tells you where to look. The requests tell you what happened. And the gaps between what different agencies produce tell you what someone wanted to stay hidden.

That’s the playbook.

Following this one in real time. Will post what comes back.

FAQ

Q: Do I need to give my name or reason when filing a Florida public records request?

No. Under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, you are not required to identify yourself or explain why you want the records. The agency cannot condition access on you providing a reason.

Q: Can I request records from a public official’s personal phone or email?

Yes. If a public official uses a personal device or personal account to conduct public business, those communications are public records under Florida law. Always include explicit language covering personal accounts in your request.

Q: What happens if the agency doesn’t respond?

Florida law requires agencies to acknowledge requests promptly and respond in good faith. There is no hard statutory deadline, but unreasonable delay can be challenged in circuit court. Prevailing requesters are entitled to attorney’s fees — which is a meaningful enforcement lever.

Q: Can an agency charge me for records?

Yes. Agencies may charge up to $0.15 per single-sided page for paper copies. For electronic records, charges are limited to actual duplication costs. Extensive use of IT or staff time beyond 30 minutes can trigger additional charges — which is why narrow, targeted requests are strategically better than broad ones.

Q: What is the Stevens method?

The Stevens method is a sequenced approach to public records requests developed for investigative journalism. Rather than filing one broad request that signals your full intent and invites delay, you file multiple narrow, targeted requests in sequence — each one informed by what the last one returned. It reduces delay, limits exemption claims, and keeps the agency from knowing the full scope of your inquiry until you already have useful documents in hand.

Q: What is a withholding log and why should I request one?

When an agency withholds records, Florida law allows you to demand a written explanation identifying each withheld record by category and citing the specific statutory exemption. That log is itself a public record. It tells you what they’re hiding and under what legal theory — which informs your next request, your follow-up questions, and in some cases is more newsworthy than the documents themselves.

Q: What is NextRequest?

NextRequest is a third-party public records management platform used by many Florida municipalities, including Cooper City. It creates a trackable, timestamped submission record for your request — which is useful if you later need to demonstrate that a response was delayed or incomplete.

Q: Can I file public records requests against multiple agencies simultaneously?

Yes, and in many investigations you should. Filing against multiple agencies simultaneously allows you to cross-reference responses. What one agency says it sent should match what another agency says it received. Gaps between those two sets of records are often where the most significant findings live.

Actual Request

REQUEST 1 – COOPER CITY

Pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, I request copies of the following public records:

All emails, text messages, direct messages, and written communications sent or received by Commissioner Ryan Shrouder — on any device or account, including personal accounts used to conduct City business — referencing or discussing:

(a) The City of Deerfield Beach’s decision to terminate its contract with the Broward Sheriff’s Office; (b) Commissioner Shrouder’s attendance at any Deerfield Beach City Commission meeting; (c) Any public comment made by Commissioner Shrouder at a Deerfield Beach meeting.

Time period: January 1, 2024 through the date this request is processed.

Preferred format: electronic, native format (.msg, .pdf, or equivalent). If any responsive records are withheld, please identify each withheld record by category and cite the specific statutory exemption claimed.

REQUEST 2 – COOPER CITY

Pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, I request copies of the following public records:

All emails, text messages, direct messages, phone logs, calendar invitations, and written communications between any Cooper City official, commissioner, or staff member and any representative, employee, or official of the Broward Sheriff’s Office — sent or received between January 1, 2024 and the date this request is processed — that reference or discuss:

(a) The City of Deerfield Beach’s public safety contract decision or separation from BSO; (b) Any request, suggestion, or coordination for a Cooper City official to attend or speak at a Deerfield Beach commission meeting; (c) Any effort to organize, encourage, or coordinate appearances by officials from BSO contract cities at other municipalities’ public meetings.

Preferred format: electronic, native format. If any responsive records are withheld, please identify each withheld record by category and cite the specific statutory exemption claimed.

REQUEST 3 – COOPER CITY

Pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, I request copies of the following public records:

All emails, text messages, direct messages, and written communications among or between any Cooper City commissioner, the City Manager, or City staff — sent or received between January 1, 2024 and the date this request is processed — that reference or discuss:

(a) The City of Deerfield Beach’s decision to form municipal police and/or fire departments; (b) Any meeting, call, or coordination among officials from multiple BSO contract cities regarding Deerfield Beach’s separation; (c) Any communication with officials from other Broward municipalities — including but not limited to Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Lauderdale Lakes, or Weston — about BSO contract matters in the context of Deerfield Beach’s decision.

Preferred format: electronic, native format. If any responsive records are withheld, please identify each withheld record by category and cite the specific statutory exemption claimed.

REQUEST 4 – DEERFIELD BEACH

Pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, I request copies of the following public records:

All emails, text messages, direct messages, calendar invitations, and written communications sent or received by Commissioner Dan Shanetsky and Commissioner Ben Preston — on any device or account, including personal accounts used to conduct City business — between January 1, 2024 and the date this request is processed, that reference or discuss:

(a) Commissioner Ryan Shrouder of the City of Cooper City;

(b) Any official, commissioner, or staff member of the City of Cooper City;

(c) Any representative, employee, or official of the Broward Sheriff’s Office regarding Deerfield Beach’s public safety contract decision;

(d) Any coordination, encouragement, or request for outside officials to attend or speak at a Deerfield Beach City Commission meeting in support of retaining the BSO contract.

Preferred format: electronic, native format (.msg, .pdf, or equivalent). If any responsive records are withheld, please identify each withheld record by category and cite the specific statutory exemption claimed.