House Bill 2049

    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 2049

        By Representative Bush






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to public records; providing

  3         exemptions from public records requirements for

  4         the identities of complainants and alleged

  5         violators of fair housing practices whose names

  6         are in the possession of the Florida Commission

  7         on Human Rights or its predecessor, the Florida

  8         Commission on Human Relations; providing a

  9         finding of public necessity; providing an

10         effective date.

11

12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

13

14         Section 1.  All complaints filed with the Florida

15  Commission on Human Rights or its predecessor, the Florida

16  Commission on Human Relations, and all records and documents

17  in the custody of the commission, which relate to and identify

18  a particular person, including, but not limited to, a

19  complainant, a housing provider, a realtor, or a real estate

20  salesperson, or an agent of any such person, or a bank, an

21  insurance company, a loan association, a firm, or an

22  enterprise, the business of which consists in whole or in part

23  of making commercial real estate loans, are confidential and

24  exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes,

25  and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. The commission

26  may not disclose such confidential material except to the

27  parties or in the course of a hearing or proceeding under s.

28  760.34, Florida Statutes. This exemption does not apply to any

29  record or document that is part of the record of any hearing

30  or court proceeding.

31

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 2049

    544-152-99






  1         Section 2.  The Legislature finds that it is a public

  2  necessity that an exemption from the public records laws of

  3  this state apply to the identities of complainants and alleged

  4  violators in connection with complaints relating to fair

  5  housing practices. This exemption is intended to prevent the

  6  likelihood of unfair interference with the business

  7  relationships of a person or an entity against whom or against

  8  which an unfair housing complaint has been lodged and of

  9  discrimination against a complainant by other housing

10  providers, if the name of any such party is freely disclosed.

11         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

12  law.

13

14            *****************************************

15                       LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

16
      Provides exemptions from public records requirements for
17    information in the possession of the Florida Commission
      on Human Rights or its predecessor, the Florida
18    Commission on Human Relations, which information
      identifies the complainant or an alleged violator in a
19    complaint alleging unfair housing practices.

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  2