Florida Senate - 2015                       CS for CS for SB 182
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Governmental Oversight and Accountability;
       and Higher Education; and Senator Hays
       
       
       
       
       585-01921-15                                           2015182c2
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to public records and meetings;
    3         creating s. 1004.097, F.S.; providing an exemption
    4         from public records requirements for identifying
    5         information of an applicant for president, provost, or
    6         dean of a state university or Florida College System
    7         institution; providing an exemption from public
    8         meeting requirements for any portion of a meeting
    9         which is held for the purpose of identifying or
   10         vetting, or which would otherwise disclose identifying
   11         information of, potential applicants for president,
   12         provost, or dean; requiring that closed meetings be
   13         reasonably noticed and be recorded; providing that the
   14         recordings of closed portions of a meeting are exempt
   15         from public records requirements; specifying that any
   16         portion of a meeting held for the purpose of
   17         establishing the qualifications of, or any
   18         compensation framework to be offered to, potential
   19         applicants are subject to public meetings
   20         requirements; specifying that the identifying
   21         information of final applicants is no longer exempt
   22         from public records and public meetings requirements
   23         for a minimum period before a final decision or vote;
   24         providing for future legislative review and repeal of
   25         the exemptions; providing a statement of public
   26         necessity; providing an effective date.
   27          
   28  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   29  
   30         Section 1. Section 1004.097, Florida Statutes, is created
   31  to read:
   32         1004.097 Information identifying applicants for president,
   33  provost, or dean at state universities or Florida College System
   34  institutions; public records exemption; public meetings
   35  exemption.—
   36         (1) Any identifying information of an applicant for
   37  president, provost, or dean of a state university or Florida
   38  College System institution is exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s.
   39  24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.
   40         (2)(a) Any portion of a meeting held for the purpose of
   41  identifying or vetting a potential applicant for president,
   42  provost, or dean of a state university or Florida College System
   43  institution is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of
   44  the State Constitution.
   45         (b) Any portion of a meeting that would disclose
   46  identifying information of an applicant for president, provost,
   47  or dean of a state university or Florida College System
   48  institution is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of
   49  the State Constitution.
   50         (c) Any portion of a meeting that is closed pursuant to
   51  paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) must be reasonably noticed. A
   52  complete recording must be made of any closed portion of a
   53  meeting, and a closed portion of a meeting may not be held off
   54  the record. The recording of the closed portion of a meeting is
   55  exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State
   56  Constitution.
   57         (d) Any portion of a meeting held for the purposes of
   58  establishing the qualifications of potential applicants or
   59  establishing the compensation framework to be offered to
   60  potential applicants must be open to the public and is subject
   61  to s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of the State Constitution.
   62         (3) No later than 30 days before the date of the meeting at
   63  which a final action or vote is to be taken regarding the
   64  employment of an applicant, identifying information of the
   65  applicants on whom a final action or vote is to be taken is no
   66  longer exempt as provided under subsection (2).
   67         (4) This section is subject to the Open Government Sunset
   68  Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed
   69  on October 2, 2020, unless reviewed and saved from repeal
   70  through reenactment by the Legislature.
   71         Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public
   72  necessity that any identifying information of an applicant for
   73  president, provost, or dean of a state university or Florida
   74  College System institution be exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida
   75  Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the State Constitution. The
   76  Legislature also finds that any portion of any meeting which is
   77  held for the purpose of identifying or vetting applicants for
   78  president, provost, or dean of a state university or Florida
   79  College System institution or which would disclose identifying
   80  information of an applicant be exempt from s. 286.011, Florida
   81  Statutes, and s. 24(b), Article I of the State Constitution.
   82  Identifying information of finalists is no longer exempt from
   83  public records and public meetings requirements 30 days before
   84  the date of the meeting at which a final action or vote occurs
   85  regarding the hiring of a president, provost, or dean. The task
   86  of filling the position of president, provost, or dean of a
   87  state university or Florida College System institution is often
   88  conducted by an executive search committee. Many, if not most,
   89  applicants for such a position are currently employed at another
   90  job at the time they apply and disclosure of their applications
   91  could jeopardize their current positions. These exemptions from
   92  public records and public meeting requirements are needed to
   93  ensure that the executive search committee can avail itself of
   94  the most experienced and desirable pool of qualified applicants
   95  from which to fill the position of president, provost, or dean
   96  of a state university or Florida College System institution. If
   97  potential applicants fear the possibility of losing their
   98  current employment as a consequence of attempting to progress
   99  along their chosen career path or seeking different and more
  100  rewarding employment, failure to have these exemptions in place
  101  could have a chilling effect on the number and quality of
  102  applicants available to fill the position of president, provost,
  103  or dean of a state university or Florida College System
  104  institution.
  105         Section 3. This act shall take effect October 1, 2015.