{"id":320747,"date":"2026-06-26T15:52:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T15:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/320747\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T15:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T15:52:26","slug":"media-attorney-questions-redactions-in-kevin-carrico-text-messages-regarding-jea-board-appointment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/320747\/","title":{"rendered":"Media attorney questions redactions in Kevin Carrico text messages regarding JEA board appointment"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 As questions continue surrounding unredacted versions text messages released<\/a> in the investigation into Former Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico\u2019s communications regarding a JEA<\/a> board appointment, a First Amendment attorney said the case highlights the importance of Florida\u2019s public records laws and raises broader questions about how government records are reviewed and disclosed.<\/p>\n

Ed Birk, a media attorney specializing in First Amendment and open government law, said whether a text message is considered a public record depends on its content \u2014 not whether it was sent from a personal cellphone or a government-issued device.<\/p>\n

\u201cGenerally, the law is that the device doesn\u2019t matter so much as the content of the messages,\u201d Birk said. \u201cIf it\u2019s business-related or government-related content, then those are public records, even if it\u2019s on a personal phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comments came after the State Attorney\u2019s Office released records related to its investigation of Carrico, following the councilman\u2019s use of the phrase \u201cbig favor\u201d in relation to a JEA board appointment.<\/p>\n

Text message exchange between Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico and JEA board member Arthur Adams. (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Investigations have since grown to examine a potential land deal in Nassau County. The state attorney\u2019s office had obtained the records through a subpoena sent to Carrico in the spring.<\/p>\n

When the City Council initially released the messages in response to public records requests, portions of the texts were redacted as personal. The versions later produced by the State Attorney\u2019s Office included additional, previously withheld content.<\/p>\n

Unredacted text message from Council President Kevin Carrico (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

In an email to our partners at the Florida Trib explaining the differences, Jason Teal, the city council director and legislative counsel, said Carrico personally reviewed the records and separated public communications from private ones.<\/p>\n

According to Teal, the redacted portion of one text conversation involved Carrico\u2019s role as a private employee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida discussing a project in Nassau County involving another private organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, it switched once it crossed into the Council President\u2019s ability to introduce legislation for an appointment to the JEA Board,\u201d Teal wrote. \u201cHence the reason that that portion of the text was provided as the public record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Birk said determining whether information is exempt from disclosure requires reviewing the substance of each message individually.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere may be some personal details in the text, but if it pertains to any sort of official responsibilities or government action, then that\u2019s going to be deemed as government-related,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Different custodians can reach different conclusions<\/p>\n

Birk said it is possible for different government agencies to make different decisions about what should be redacted.<\/p>\n

In this case, the City Council and the State Attorney\u2019s Office each reviewed the records independently.<\/p>\n

Still, Birk said the release of the previously redacted messages naturally raises questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sequence and the content of these messages suggests that the City Council might have been too quick to deem something personal,\u201d Birk said. \u201cMaybe to avoid embarrassing content. Maybe not, but that certainly raises the suspicion.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that under Florida law, any agency withholding or redacting records must cite the specific legal exemption authorizing the redaction.<\/p>\n

Birk praised the State Attorney\u2019s Office for providing a detailed exemption log explaining each redaction and the statutory basis for withholding information.<\/p>\n

If someone believes records were improperly redacted, Birk said the proper avenue is to challenge the decision in court, where a judge can privately review the records and determine whether the exemptions were properly applied.<\/p>\n

Transparency is essential<\/p>\n

Birk said Florida\u2019s broad public records laws are designed to ensure citizens can monitor how government officials make decisions and spend taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur whole system of democracy depends upon the voters and the citizens being fully informed about what our government is doing on our behalf,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said delays in obtaining records or high costs associated with public records requests can undermine that goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen there are roadblocks or hurdles to getting that information, either delays in time or delays because of huge costs, then the public is not served by that,\u201d Birk said.<\/p>\n

News4JAX previously reported that the City Council estimated it would cost approximately $4,000 to fulfill the public records request related to Carrico\u2019s records that were turned over to investigators. After attorneys for News4JAX and several other local media outlets got involved, the estimate was reduced to around $200.<\/p>\n

Investigation continues<\/p>\n

Birk cautioned against drawing conclusions before the investigation is complete but said the newly released communications are one possible interpretation investigators will likely examine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad the state attorney is investigating it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to wait and see what conclusion she draws.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that maintaining public confidence in government institutions depends on thorough investigations and meaningful public access to records.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what we need from our state attorney and from others who have that responsibility,\u201d Birk said. \u201cPublic confidence in our institutions is crucial.\u201d<\/p>\n

The State Attorney\u2019s Office has not announced whether it plans to file any charges in connection with the investigation.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 As questions continue surrounding unredacted versions text messages released in the investigation into Former Jacksonville…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319900,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1039,116,118,117,501,5896],"class_list":["post-320747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-duval-county","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news","tag-jea","tag-kevin-carrico"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}