Opinion ID: 1708076
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Wait v. Florida Power & Light Co

Text: In Wait v. Florida Power & Light Co., 372 So.2d 420 (Fla.1979), the City of New Smyrna Beach Utilities Commission (New Smyrna) and Florida Power & Light (FPL) were engaged in litigation before the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission over the construction and operation of FPL's nuclear power plants. FPL used the Florida Public Records Act to request New Smyrna's records relating to its electrical system. New Smyrna refused the request, after which FPL sought a writ of mandamus. The trial court granted the writ, ruling that the Public Records Act encompassed all records and documents in New Smyrna's possession. Id. at 422. The First District affirmed this ruling on appeal. Among several claims raised on review, New Smyrna argued that section 119.07(1) should be interpreted as requiring reciprocal disclosure by FPL. Id. at 425. The cited statutory language provided as follows: Every person who has custody of public records shall permit the records to be inspected and examined by any person desiring to do so, at reasonable times, under reasonable conditions, and under supervision by the custodian of the records or his designee. Section 119.07(1), Fla. Stat. (1975). We rejected that strained argument out of hand, writing that: We find no merit in New Smyrna's argument because we do not equate the acquisition of public documents under chapter 119 with the rights of discovery afforded a litigant by judicially-created rules of procedure and because we simply cannot construe the language of section 119.07(1) in the fashion suggested by New Smyrna. That portion of the statute relied upon by New Smyrna provides that examination of public records shall be permitted at reasonable times, under reasonable conditions, and under supervision by the custodian of the records or his designee. It is clear to us that this statutory phrase refers not to conditions which must be fulfilled before review is permitted but to reasonable regulations that would permit the custodian of the records to protect them from alteration, damage, or destruction and also to ensure that the person reviewing the records is not subjected to physical constraints designed to preclude review. Wait, 372 So.2d at 425.