By Skip Foster, Red Tape Florida
TALLAHASSEE — Red Tape Florida has filed a series of public-records requests with the City of Tallahassee seeking information about taxpayer-funded vehicles provided to some of City Hall’s highest-ranking officials.
We asked for the current vehicles purchased for Tallahassee Police Department leaders at the rank of major and above.
No charge.
We asked for the current vehicles provided to the city attorney, city clerk, inspector general and City Manager Reese Goad.
No charge.
Then we asked for the complete record of vehicles purchased for or by Goad since he became city manager.
That’ll be $480.
Which raises what seems like a pretty obvious question:
Why this request?
The City says it will take 15 hours of staff time at $32 an hour to produce records showing Goad’s vehicle purchases, including purchase prices, trade-in values, options and features, and maintenance and repair costs paid by taxpayers.
The request followed RTF’s reporting on the nearly $100,000 taxpayers spent purchasing, trading for and outfitting a 2025 Ford F-350 King Ranch for Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell.
That discovery prompted us to take a broader look at vehicles provided to top City officials.
The City produced records identifying the current vehicles for TPD majors and above without charging RTF. It produced records identifying the current vehicles for the city attorney, city clerk, inspector general and Goad without charging RTF.
But when RTF asked for the history of vehicles purchased for Goad, the meter started running.
After RTF questioned the $480 charge, the City provided an itemized estimate.
According to the City, employees will need four hours to search Fleet Management records and other systems; three hours to retrieve, compile, sort and organize the records; another three hours to review them; two hours for redactions and preparation; and another hour for final review and production.
And then there’s this:
Two hours for “printing and scanning.”
RTF requested the records electronically.
Altogether, the City estimates 15 hours of work to produce the records.
Florida’s public-records law allows governments to impose a “special service charge” when a request requires extensive use of information-technology resources or extensive clerical or supervisory assistance. The charge must be reasonable and based on the actual cost incurred.
The City says this request qualifies.
So here’s what we’re going to do.
Red Tape Florida is going to pay the $480, get the records and tell you what they show.
But if you’ve ever wondered how you can help support this kind of reporting, here’s one way.
Public-records requests are one of the most important tools we use to find out how local governments are spending your money — and, as this request demonstrates, sometimes getting those records costs money.
You can support Red Tape Florida through our contribution page, either as an ongoing contributor or with a one-time contribution. Your support helps pay for public-records requests like this one and allows us to keep digging.
Either way, we’re paying the $480.
Maybe there’s nothing particularly interesting in Goad’s vehicle history.
But here’s what we know so far:
Records for the Police Department brass? No charge.
Records for four of City Hall’s top officials, including Goad? No charge.
The history of vehicles taxpayers purchased for Goad?
$480.
We’re going to find out what’s in those records.
And we’ll let you know what we find.