HB 7043 — OGSR/Agency Personnel Information
by Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee and Rep. Arrington and others (SB 7030 by Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee)
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee (GO)
The bill continues the series of current public record exemptions in s. 119.071(4)(d), F.S., that protect the personal identifying information of specified agency personnel, their spouses, and children, when held by an agency. Personal identifying information can include the individual’s home address, telephone number, date of birth, and location of childcare facilities. The agency personnel who are covered by this public record exemption, due to the nature of their employment, include:
- Active or former sworn law enforcement personnel, including correctional and correctional probation officers;
- Department of Children and Families personnel with specific investigative duties;
- Department of Health personnel who support the investigation of child abuse or neglect;
- Department of Revenue or local government employees whose responsibilities include revenue collection and enforcement or child support enforcement;
- Department of Financial Services personnel with specific investigative duties;
- Office of Financial Regulation’s Bureau of Financial Investigations personnel whose duties include specific investigative duties;
- Current or former firefighters;
- Current or former state attorneys, assistant state attorneys, statewide prosecutors, or assistant statewide prosecutors;
- General magistrates, special magistrates, judges of compensation claims, administrative law judges of the Division of Administrative Hearings, and child support enforcement hearing officers;
- Current or former local government agency or water management district human resources, labor relations, or employee relations managers or directors, if their employment involves specific personnel-related duties, such as labor negotiations or firing;
- Current or former code enforcement officers;
- Current or former guardians ad litem;
- Current or former juvenile probation officers and their related personnel, human services counselor administrators, senior human services counselor administrators, rehabilitation therapists, and social services counselors of the Department of Juvenile Justice;
- Current or former public defenders, assistant public defenders, criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, and assistant criminal conflict and civil regional counsel;
- Current or former Department of Business and Professional Regulation investigators or inspectors;
- County tax collectors;
- Current or former Department of Health personnel whose duties include or result in the determination of social security disability benefits or certain investigative duties;
- Current or former impaired practitioner consultants or their employees, if they were retained by an agency;
- Current or former emergency medical technicians or paramedics;
- Current or former personnel who are employed in an agency’s office of inspector general or internal audit department, if the employee’s duties include the auditing or investigation of specific activities that could lead to criminal or administrative discipline;
- Current or former directors, managers, supervisors, nurses, and clinical employees of an addiction treatment facility;
- Current or former directors, managers, supervisors and clinical employees of a child advocacy center that meets specific standards and requirements of ch. 39, F.S.; and
- Current or former staff and domestic violence advocates of domestic violence centers that are certified by the Department of Children and Families.
The bill removes the October 2, 2024 scheduled repeal of the public record exemptions, thereby maintaining the exemptions for the specified agency personnel and their spouses and children.
If approved by the Governor, or allowed to become law without the Governor’s signature, these provisions take effect October 1, 2024.
Vote: Senate 38-1; House 114-0