FOIA REQUESTS

In accordance with the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), S.C. Code Ann. §30-4-30, et seq. (1976, as amended), persons have the right to inspect and copy public records.  FOIA requests for public records of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office should be directed to: Florence County Sheriff’s Office, ATTN: Office of General Counsel, 6719 Friendfield Road, Effingham, SC 29541.

In order to help offset the costs of searching for, retrieval and redaction of public records from the FCSO, the following fee schedule applies:

14-day reports furnished          $0.35 per page
under §30-4-30(D)(2)
(in-person requests only)

Hourly staff time:                   $20 per hour (if request requires specialized personnel, e.g., IT, legal, executive, etc., hourly rates could increase)

Copies of documents              $0.35 per page

CDs or DVDs
(audio, video, photos, etc.)     $5.00 per disc

A deposit of 25% of the estimated costs for searching, retrieval, redacting and reproducing records may be required before searching for or making copies of records.  The full balance must be paid at the time of production of the records.

Inspection, copying and production of records are subject to all applicable exemptions, redaction, and/or exclusions provided by FOIA or other state or federal laws.  If public records are available and capable of electronic transmission by FCSO, per page copying charges do not apply.  However, staff time for searching, retrieval and redaction will still apply.  Records not in electronic format may, in FCSO discretion, may be converted to and transmitted in electronic format; in such event there will be an additional charge for staff time for converting to electronic format.

PURSUANT TO S.C. CODE ANN. §30-2-50, OBTAINING OR USING PUBLIC RECORDS FOR COMMERCIAL SOLICITATION DIRECTED TO ANY PERSON IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA IS PROHIBITED, AND IS PUNISHABLE BY A FINE OF UP TO $500 AND IMPRISONMENT UP TO ONE YEAR, OR BOTH.


FOIA REQUEST FORM

This is a sample form that may be printed out and used to submit requests for public records from the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.  This form is for your convenience, but not required.  Whether using this form or any other written request format, providing as much information as possible about the public records you are seeking will facilitate FCSO’s ability to completely respond to your request.  Requests for public records may be sent to: Florence County Sheriff’s Office, ATTN: Office of General Counsel, 6719 Friendfield Road, Effingham, SC 29541.