Public Records Request

City of Westlake’s Custodian of Public Records

In accordance with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes:

The Custodian of Public Records for the City of Westlake is the City Clerk.  The location and contact information is:

Zoie P. Burgess, CMC, City Clerk
4001 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road
Westlake, FL  33470
Phone: (561) 530-5880
Email: zburgess@westlakegov.com   

Public Records Request

Individuals are not required to identify themselves or make a request for public records in any particular format, nor give a reason for such request. A requestor can make a public records request to City of Westlake in any of the following methods:

1. Online: To request a public record using the online portal, please click the following link: https://cityofwestlakefl.nextrequest.com/ 

2. E-mail: To request a public record via email, please send an email message to publicrecords@westlakegv.com.

3. Mail: To request a public record by mail, please send the request to: City of Westlake, Office of the City Clerk, Attention: Public Records Request, 4001 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, Westlake, Florida  33470.

4. Telephone: To request a public record via telephone, please contact the Office of the City Clerk at (561) 530-5880

5. In-Person: To request a public record in person, please visit the Office of the City Clerk, located at City of Westlake City Hall, 4001 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, Westlake, Florida  33470.

While written requests are not required, the City Clerk has developed a procedure for the processing of public records requests made to the City through a Public Records Request Portal, a service provided by NextRequest. Requests received by telephone or other forms of communication will be recorded on the portal by the clerical staff member receiving the request to ensure the request is received accurately and processed according to the City’s Public Records Request Policy.

The City of Westlake  is not required to produce a record that does not exist, nor is the City required to produce records in a particular form or format if the records are not ordinarily created, filed, produced, maintained or used in that form/format by the City. City personnel is not required to verbally provide information to the public pertaining to City records as the City’s statutory obligation is to provide access to or copies of the public records being requested.

Florida state law allows the City to impose a special service charge to the individual requesting public record(s) to recover actual costs incurred by the City when responding to public records requests. If the nature or volume of public records requested to be inspected, examined or copied is such as to require extensive use of information technology resources or extensive clerical or supervisory assistance by City personnel involved, or both, the City shall charge, in addition to the actual cost of duplication, a special service charge which shall be reasonable and shall be based on the cost incurred for such extensive use of information technology resources or the labor cost of the personnel providing the services that is incurred by the City or attributable to the City for clerical and supervisory assistance required, or both. When any special service charge is based on the labor costs of the City employee(s) performing the service.

It is the City’s policy that there shall be no charge for the first fifteen (15) minutes of the processing of a request, as the word “extensive” has been defined to mean it took longer than fifteen (15) minutes to locate, review, copy or compile records.

Police Department Records - Police Records including, criminal, and Accident Reports, are maintained separately by Palm Beach Sherriff's Office and should be requested directly from the agency. For more information, visit the the Central Records Department webpage.

Fire Department Records - Fire Records are maintained separately by the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and should be requested directly from the agency. For more information, visit the Records & Resource Bureau webpage.

REMINDER:

Every attempt will be made to provide an accurate and timely response to your request.  Please NOTE the following items:

  • Not all information requested may still be available. Information is destroyed in accordance with established State Retention Laws.
  • Some requests will require longer to process than others.
  • The production of some information could incur a charge.
  • Request(s) should be as specific as possible and provide as much searchable information as possible (i.e.) exact street address, time frame to search, the type of record/information you hope to acquire from this search.
  • We cannot create a new document to satisfy a record request.
  • Florida has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from the City of Westlake officials and/or employees are public records available to the public and media upon request. Your e-mail address and communications may, therefore, be subject to public disclosure.

Public Records Request Form

To submit a Public Records Request online, please click the submit button below to begin your request.

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