Video, Photograph, and Recording Policy

The Pasco County Tax Collector's Office (hereafter "PCTC") will make every effort to accommodate journalists or any other individual(s) who wish to video, photograph, record, film, or interview within the interior of any PCTC facility. This policy is in place to protect the confidentiality of records and documents exempt from public disclosure, to prevent disruptions of the PCTC’s legitimate public business and rendering of public services, and to foster a safe and orderly environment for PCTC customers and employees.

Let it be Known:

1. The PCTC’s purpose is to collect appropriate taxes, manage the funds obtained from the people of Pasco County, and assume responsibility as an agent for Florida State Agencies including but not limited to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
2. PCTC office facilities are used solely for legitimate public business purposes to carry out its Constitutionally mandated and Agency delegated duties.
3. Such legitimate public business purposes include transactions that involve the gathering of personal, confidential, and sensitive information.
4. Every person holds a First Amendment right to engage in speech activity including the right to photograph, videotape, film, make audio records, and interview. Such a right is subject to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. Certain speech activity conducted within the interior of the PCTC office facilities including the allowance of unrestricted video, photography, and audio recording may:

                        A. Hinder access to and egress from the facility;

                        B. Cause customers of the Tax Collector’s office, seeking to conduct business transactions at the Tax Collector’s office facilities, to be recorded without consent where they may have a reasonable expectation of privacy;

                       C. Undermine and put the sensitive nature of gathering personal information from the Tax Collector’s customers at risk and otherwise impede employees from conducting legitimate public business transactions.

                       D. Otherwise cause disruption of the PCTC’s legitimate business purposes.

5. The Government, like any private landowner, may preserve the property under its control for the use to which it is lawfully dedicated and that a government workplace, like any place of employment, exists to accomplish the business of the employer. Therefore, the Government has the right to exercise control over access to the [government] workplace in order to avoid interruptions to the performance of the duties of its employees.

6. In consideration of the above, the PCTC shall adopt reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions, in compliance with federal law and court’s rulings, in order to:

A. Protect the county grounds and facilities;

B. Ensure a safe and orderly environment for customers conducting business with or visiting the PCTC, as well as those persons exercising their First Amendment rights within the PCTC office interior;

C. Ensure unobstructed and safe access to customers, visitors, and employees to and from offices;

D. Ensure customer, visitor, and employee privacy and personal information is safeguarded in accordance with state and federal statutes, codes, and regulations.

THE PASCO COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR’S OFFICE VIDEO, PHOTOGRAPH, AND AUDIO RECORDING POLICY HEREBY STATES AS FOLLOWS,

1.    No videotaping, photographing, recording, filming, or interviewing may be conducted inside any PCTC facility by anyone without prior approval of the tax collector. Violators will be requested to cease such activity immediately. If the violator is not within the PCTC offices to transact legitimate business purposes with the PCTC and refuses to cease such activity, the violator(s) will subsequently be requested to leave the facility. Such activity includes, but is not limited to, the use of cameras, digital voice recorders, tape recorders, cell phones, laptops, tablets, personal digital assistants, or similar technological devices to record video, audio, or photographs. (Note: This is not intended as an all-encompassing ban on the use of cell phones, laptops, personal digital assistants, or similar technological devices in offices of the PCTC.) This prohibition shall not apply to any law enforcement activities.

2.    Devices that are used for and have the primary purpose of audio, video, and/or photographic recording shall be prohibited from inside PCTC facilities unless prior approval has been granted. Any device that is used for and has the primary purpose of audio, video, and/or photographic recording that is brought inside PCTC facilities shall be presumed to be actively recording. Such devices include but are not limited to: GoPro, body-worn cameras, hand-held audio recorders, digital and disposable cameras, and Camcorders. (Note: This provision is not intended to include a prohibition on law enforcement body-worn cameras, cellular devices, PCTC security cameras, and PCTC employee’s and PCTC authorized designee’s video, audio, and/or photographic recording.)

3.    All requests for approval to videotape, photograph, record, film, or interview must be submitted as far in advance as possible to Greg Giordano, Assistant Tax Collector for Communications and Special Projects (hereafter “ATCC”). Email Greg Giordano (ggiordano@pascotaxes.com) or contact him by phone at 727-844-8179.

a. The ATCC will discuss the request with the tax collector and notify the requester of whether or not the request is approved.
b. If it is determined that the request may interfere with office operations, the tax collector or ATCC reserve the right to deny the request.
c. Any person or group whose request is approved may be required to provide evidence of insurance and to indemnify and hold harmless Pasco County Government and the PCTC.
d. PCTC employees are not authorized to provide interviews of any kind without approval from the tax collector or ATCC.
e. Designated places to conduct interviews may be provided by the PCTC on a case-by-case basis as circumstances permit.

4.    Due to First Amendment rights, videotaping and photography are permitted outside of the office. However, for safety reasons PCTC office policy requires a minimum distance of 200 feet when attempting to videotape, photograph, observe from a moving vehicle, or otherwise follow a vehicle in which a road test is in progress. These safeguards are to ensure there are no distractions that may become dangerous to the parties involved in the road test.

5.    Identification numbers and documents, such as passports, driver licenses, ID cards, and Social Security cards or numbers, are confidential in nature and therefore exempt from public disclosure by the PCTC. Videotaping, photographing, recording, or filming personal documents or conversations that contain information exempt from public record is prohibited.

Revised 04/11/2024