The Florida Center for Government Accountability, Inc.; Michael Barfield; Gannett Co., Inc.; The McClatchy Company LLC; and Scripps Media, Inc. v. Christian Ziegler; Bridget Ziegler; Office of the State Attorney, 12th Judicial Circuit; and Sarasota Police Department
The Second District reversed a sweeping final judgment that had barred disclosure of law enforcement electronic records and ordered their destruction. The court held that data copied, flagged as relevant, and reviewed by police in a concluded criminal investigation are public records under section 119.011(12); that there is no Fourth Amendment exemption to the Public Records Act and the exclusionary rule cannot be imported into a civil public-records dispute; that the trial court impermissibly granted relief on unpled federal constitutional theories; and that the section 90.504 spousal privilege is an evidence rule that creates no public-records exemption.
🔒 Read the full opinion, holding & search the library
The full opinion PDF, the rules the court applied, our significance analysis, the background facts, and full-text search across every tracked Florida decision are available to members. Start a free 30-day trial — no credit card.
Not ready to sign up? Get the free Friday digest — the week's key Florida decisions by email, no login required.
Florida Court Tracker provides summaries of publicly available court opinions for informational and research purposes only. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney–client relationship. Always verify holdings against the official opinion.