The Florida Senate

384.29  Confidentiality.--

(1)  All information and records held by the department or its authorized representatives relating to known or suspected cases of sexually transmissible diseases are strictly confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1). Such information shall not be released or made public by the department or its authorized representatives, or by a court or parties to a lawsuit upon revelation by subpoena, except under the following circumstances:

(a)  When made with the consent of all persons to which the information applies;

(b)  When made for statistical purposes, and medical or epidemiologic information is summarized so that no person can be identified and no names are revealed;

(c)  When made to medical personnel, appropriate state agencies, public health agencies, or courts of appropriate jurisdiction, to enforce the provisions of this chapter or s. 775.0877 and related rules;

(d)  When made in a medical emergency, but only to the extent necessary to protect the health or life of a named party, or an injured officer, firefighter, paramedic, or emergency medical technician, as provided in ¹s. 796.08(6); or

(e)  When made to the proper authorities as required by chapter 39 or chapter 415.

(2)  When disclosure is made pursuant to a subpoena, the court shall seal such information from further disclosure, except as deemed necessary by the court to reach a decision, unless otherwise agreed to by all parties. Except as provided in this section, such information that is disclosed pursuant to a subpoena is confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1).

(3)  No employee of the department or its authorized representatives shall be examined in a civil, criminal, special, or other proceeding as to the existence or contents of pertinent records of a person examined or treated for a sexually transmissible disease by the department or its authorized representatives, or of the existence or contents of such reports received from a private physician or private health facility, without the consent of the person examined and treated for such diseases, except in proceedings under ss. 384.27 and 384.28 or involving offenders pursuant to s. 775.0877.

History.--s. 90, ch. 86-220; s. 5, ch. 90-292; s. 7, ch. 90-344; s. 11, ch. 93-227; s. 17, ch. 96-322; s. 199, ch. 96-406; s. 138, ch. 98-403.

¹Note.--Repealed by s. 2, ch. 94-205.