Public Records Requests
Florida’s public records law, Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, defines public records as: “All documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software of other material, regardless of physical form, or characteristics, or means of transmission, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any agency.”
State and federal laws exempt certain types of public records, or portions thereof, from disclosure under the public records law. Before documents are released pursuant to a public records request, any exempt documents or exempt information contained within the documents will be removed. This determination will be made by the Office of the General Counsel.
Requests should be handled by the department that maintains the documents requested. Requests do not need to be in writing; however, a department may request that it be to ensure they fully understand what the requestor wants. The Office of the General Counsel will assist with any request as needed. Please contact us at 407.823.2482.
The University of Central Florida is committed to compliance with the Florida Public Records Law. Please contact the custodian at gcounsel@ucf.edu or at 4365 Andromeda Loop N, Suite 360, Orlando, FL 32816.
Other Contacts
Media requests should be directed to News and Information at 407.823.5007.
Requests for statistical data or demographic data should be forwarded to Institutional Knowledge Management at iroffice@ucf.edu or 407.823.5061.
Requests for documents maintained by UCF Athletics should be directed to the UCFAA Communications department at 407.823.0994.
Resources
The Office of the General Counsel is authorized to accept service of legal documents on behalf of the university at its offices located at 4365 Andromeda Loop N., Millican Hall, Suite 360, Orlando, FL 32816. This includes subpoenas, summons, court orders or other legal processes. Any process server who attempts to serve an employee with a university-related legal document should be referred to the Office of the General Counsel. Should an employee mistakenly accept service on behalf of the University, promptly contact the Office of the General Counsel so that the university is not penalized for failing to respond within the applicable deadlines.
Subpoenas
A subpoena is an order issued by the court. University related subpoenas are to be served or sent certified mail to Custodian of Records, University of Central Florida, the Office of the General Counsel, 4365 Andromeda Loop N, Millican Hall, Suite 360, Orlando, FL 32816. Subpoenas received from attorneys relating to university business should also be immediately forwarded to the Office of the General Counsel. Often these subpoenas request university documents and the Office of the General Counsel coordinates with university units to produce these request.
- Out of state subpoenas are not enforceable in Florida and would need to be served in our jurisdiction in order to satisfy the federal law requirement.
- The General Counsel’s Office does not accept subpoenas that are of personal nature. Subpoenas for records of an individual will need to be served to and signed by the actual individual in which the subpoena addresses.
Other Service Processes
Court Orders / Summons
University employees receiving a court order, summons or other legal paper directly from a court relating to university business should immediately forward the original documents to the Office of the General Counsel for handling. Summons or Court Orders served on an employee in his or personal capacity, and not relating to university business, will not be handled by the Office of the General Counsel. The employee may hire private counsel to review these documents.
Written Communication from Attorneys
If an employee receives and email, letter, or other communication from an attorney related to university business, please forward it to the Office of the General Counsel. Emails my be forwarded to gcounsel@ucf.edu.