Public Records Are Costly

What 32 public records requests taught us about the price of information we already own, and who answers when we ask.

By Ali Olivo and Amber Cebull · October 21, 2026

32 requests in two and a half months

We filed our first public records request with the School District of Lee County on August 7. By the time we sat down to record this episode, we had filed 32.

Florida's public records law, Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, says those records belong to the public. Getting them still costs money and time. Here is what we have learned, what it has cost, and who is answering when we ask.

We have 32 requests right now. The first one started August 7th, so just to give you an idea, that's 32 requests over two and a half months.

Ali

The price of information we already own

When we started, we didn't narrow our requests. The invoices came back to match: the biggest was more than $3,000, and several came in around $1,600 and $800. We learned to make every request smaller and more specific.

The district asks for 50% of the estimate before any work begins. We have seen the math go wrong on its own invoices: one estimate listed a $749.70 total and a $374.85 deposit, then a $347.85 balance, $27 less than the deposit it was supposed to equal.

The hourly rate changes from request to request. Most of ours have been in the low $20s, with $19 the lowest and $24.99 on two estimates we have in hand. One came in at $37 an hour, and another at $75.

The higher the invoice, the hotter the tea. The higher the hourly rate, the more high up the pair of eyes that are making the decision are.

Ali

Who answers when we ask

We email questions to the superintendent, the chief of schools, the deputy superintendent and the regional associate superintendents. A public records request can only ask for documents, so questions have to go by email. Those emails go unanswered.

Then we filed a request we expect to be a headache for the district. We are not naming it until the records come back. The estimate was more than $1,000. We narrowed it and asked why the rate was $37 an hour. This time we got an answer, from Riley Kempton, the district's Assistant Director of Media Relations and Public Information. The estimate is now $350, and we have paid the deposit.

Ali read Kempton's reply on the podcast:

Our office has one public records manager. And with the current volume of requests, I am helping process them to reduce wait times. Although I am handling your request, you are being charged at the rate of the lowest paid employee qualified to do the work, not my own hourly rate.

Riley Kempton, in an email to Ali, as read on the podcast

Her follow-up said the district may charge for the time spent locating and compiling records, that "a significant amount of time has already been spent tracking down this information," and that this time was not included in the estimate.

Did she just tell you she could have charged you more?

On the podcast

The "lowest paid employee qualified" standard is the district's own wording. The statute's test is whether the charge is reasonable and reflects cost actually incurred. Our full guide to the law is on our public records page.

If an agency unlawfully refuses to produce records and you sue and win, Florida law allows the court to award your attorney's fees, as long as you gave the agency written notice at least five business days before filing. The court can also award the agency its fees if it finds a suit was filed for an improper purpose.

Literally, we are a Sunshine State. That was one of the things I learned in J school at Florida.

Ali

Not every agency makes it this hard. We have filed two requests with the Lee County Sheriff's Office. Both came back within a couple of business days.

Same request, different documents

Our Priority Marketing op-ed was built on records the district produced to us. Other people requested Priority Marketing records too, and the productions did not match. One requester got one set of documents. We got a different set, missing pieces the other had.

That is the reason for our public records library. Every record we receive goes there, with the request number and the date the district released it, so anyone can compare what was asked for with what came back. If you have records, you can add them.

We realized there's actual other people paying for public records requests, free information that we're paying for. Point being, there might be some things that someone has already gotten or has that you need or would like to see.

Amber

The library: Browse and download every record in the Parents for Transparency public records library

Then we looked up Riley Kempton

Kempton's title today is Assistant Director, Media Relations and Public Information Officer. Public information and public records sit side by side in that job. The person who manages the district's media relationships is also helping decide what our requests cost and when they come back.

Then we opened her LinkedIn profile. It lists almost six years, from January 2018 to October 2023, as Director of Political Campaigns and Digital Media at TM Strategic Consulting.

That's f***ing Terry Miller.

Amber

TM Strategic Consulting, LLC is Terry Miller's political consulting firm. Florida's business registry lists him as its manager. Miller is also a partner at Ballard Partners, the lobbying firm that was on the School Board's September 8 agenda for up to $90,000 in additional lobbying services.

I feel sick, Amber.

Ali

Her LinkedIn lists a year at Quest Corporation of America after TM Strategic, then her district job. The School Board approved her as Coordinator, Government Relations on October 22, 2024, two weeks before Denise Carlin was elected superintendent. Nine days after the election, she registered as a state lobbyist for the district.

Carlin's campaign was a TM Strategic client. It paid the firm $166,413.66, three quarters of everything the campaign spent. Kempton gave $100 to that campaign in February 2024.

On the podcast, Amber named TM Strategic clients from memory: Armor Persons, Jada Langford Fleming, Denise Carlin, Sam Fisher, county commissioners, and Jenna Persons-Mulicka, whom Gov. DeSantis appointed Lee County Supervisor of Elections in May. Here is what Lee County campaign filings show for School Board races.

Totals from Lee County Supervisor of Elections campaign finance exports. Persons-Mulicka's state House campaigns file with the state, not the county; we have not added them here.

Tony Beougher, a current School Board candidate, told us Miller's clients always win. In our experience, they usually do. Amanda Cochran broke that this August, beating Trish Petrosky, whose campaign paid TM Strategic $261,104.51, in the County Commission District 5 Republican primary.

Why this matters for public records

The person who helps process our requests also works on the district's media relations. Her LinkedIn shows her communications team touring the WINK News and Gulf Coast News newsrooms in July. A records request tells the district what we are looking for weeks or months before we publish. When the same office handles both, it sees the story coming.

Nothing in Florida law stops a district from staffing its public information office this way. We think parents deserve to know it is staffed this way, and by whom.

Dear Riley, we're not gonna stop. You can stall, you can give us... you can run, but you can't [hide]. Halloween came early, Riley.

On the podcast

The documents

Records discussed in this piece, exactly as the district produced them. More are in our public records library.

• Priority Marketing purchase orders (26-607) The district's PO report for Priority Marketing.
• Priority Marketing renewal, board item (26-609) May 12, 2026 board agenda item.
• BusPatrol stop-arm camera contract (26-756) The district's piggyback contract with BusPatrol America.
• Royal Palm repurpose budget (26-630) Preliminary budget for the Royal Palm renovations.

Sources

Riley Kempton's work history is from her LinkedIn profile (linkedin.com/in/riley-kempton), viewed October 21, 2026. Her district appointment and reclassification are from Lee County School Board personnel reports of October 22, 2024 and June 3, 2025. Her lobbyist registrations are from the Florida Lobbyist Registration Office (floridalobbyist.gov, lobbyist ID 9776). Campaign contributions and payments to TM Strategic Consulting are from Lee County Supervisor of Elections campaign finance reports. TM Strategic Consulting's manager is from the Florida Division of Corporations. The Ballard Partners lobbying item is from the September 8, 2026 School Board agenda. The Supervisor of Elections appointment is from the Governor's office announcement of May 20, 2026. Priority Marketing, BusPatrol and Royal Palm figures are from records the district produced to us. Statute language is from Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. Quotes are from the Parents for Transparency podcast episode "Public Records Are Costly," recorded October 20, 2026.

Disclaimers

Opinion. This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are those of the authors, Ali Olivo and Amber Cebull, and are based on the facts and documents disclosed above. Readers are encouraged to review the source documents and reach their own conclusions.

No allegation of illegality. Nothing in this piece alleges that Riley Kempton, Terry Miller, TM Strategic Consulting, the School District of Lee County, any candidate or any vendor named here violated any law, regulation or policy. Campaign contributions and campaign consulting are lawful. Our commentary concerns how public records are priced and handled, which is a matter of public concern.

Podcast quotes. Quoted remarks come from an unscripted podcast recording and reflect the speakers' personal reactions in conversation. They are opinion and rhetorical commentary, not statements of fact, and are published as spoken.

Not legal or financial advice. This piece is for public information and commentary only. It is not legal, financial or accounting advice.

Corrections. We correct errors promptly and note the change at the top of the piece. If you believe anything here is inaccurate, contact info@parentsfortransparency.com with the specific statement and supporting documentation.

Disclosure. Parents for Transparency is a Florida limited liability company funded by reader memberships. The authors have pending public records requests with the School District of Lee County.

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