House Bill 2289

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2289

        By the Committee on Family Law & Children and
    Representatives Roberts, Brown and Effman





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to public records; amending s.

  3         119.07, F.S.; providing an exemption from

  4         public records requirements for certain records

  5         relating to personnel of the Department of

  6         Children and Family Services who provide

  7         services to abused, neglected, abandoned, or

  8         exploited children, disabled adults, and

  9         elderly persons and their families; providing

10         for future repeal; providing a finding of

11         public necessity; providing an effective date.

12

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

14

15         Section 1.  Paragraph (i) of subsection (3) of section

16  119.07, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

17         119.07  Inspection, examination, and duplication of

18  records; exemptions.--

19         (3)

20         (i)1.  The home addresses, telephone numbers, social

21  security numbers, and photographs of active or former law

22  enforcement personnel, including correctional and correctional

23  probation officers, personnel of the Department of Children

24  and Family Services whose duties include the investigation of

25  abuse, neglect, exploitation, fraud, theft, or other criminal

26  activities, or the provision of services to abused, neglected,

27  abandoned, or exploited children, disabled adults, and elderly

28  persons and their families, personnel of the Department of

29  Health whose duties are to support the investigation of child

30  abuse or neglect, and personnel of the Department of Revenue

31  or local governments whose responsibilities include revenue

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2289

    606-142A-00






  1  collection and enforcement or child support enforcement; the

  2  home addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers,

  3  photographs, and places of employment of the spouses and

  4  children of such personnel; and the names and locations of

  5  schools and day care facilities attended by the children of

  6  such personnel are exempt from the provisions of subsection

  7  (1).  The home addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs

  8  of firefighters certified in compliance with s. 633.35; the

  9  home addresses, telephone numbers, photographs, and places of

10  employment of the spouses and children of such firefighters;

11  and the names and locations of schools and day care facilities

12  attended by the children of such firefighters are exempt from

13  subsection (1).  The home addresses and telephone numbers of

14  justices of the Supreme Court, district court of appeal

15  judges, circuit court judges, and county court judges; the

16  home addresses, telephone numbers, and places of employment of

17  the spouses and children of justices and judges; and the names

18  and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by

19  the children of justices and judges are exempt from the

20  provisions of subsection (1).  The home addresses, telephone

21  numbers, social security numbers, and photographs of current

22  or former state attorneys, assistant state attorneys,

23  statewide prosecutors, or assistant statewide prosecutors; the

24  home address, telephone numbers, social security numbers,

25  photographs, and places of employment of the spouses and

26  children of current or former state attorneys, assistant state

27  attorneys, statewide prosecutors, or assistant statewide

28  prosecutors; and the names and locations of schools and day

29  care facilities attended by the children of current or former

30  state attorneys, assistant state attorneys, statewide

31  prosecutors, or assistant statewide prosecutors are exempt

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2289

    606-142A-00






  1  from subsection (1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

  2  Constitution.  The home addresses and home telephone numbers

  3  of county and municipal code inspectors and code enforcement

  4  officers are confidential and exempt from the provisions of

  5  subsection (1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

  6         2.  An agency that is the custodian of the personal

  7  information specified in subparagraph 1. and that is not the

  8  employer of the officer, employee, justice, judge, or other

  9  person specified in subparagraph 1. shall maintain the

10  confidentiality of the personal information only if the

11  officer, employee, justice, judge, other person, or employing

12  agency of the designated employee submits a written request

13  for confidentiality to the custodial agency.

14         3.  The public records exemption in subparagraph 1.

15  pertaining to personnel of the Department of Children and

16  Family Services whose duties include the provision of services

17  to abused, neglected, abandoned, or exploited children,

18  disabled adults, and elderly persons and their families is

19  subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act of 1995 in

20  accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October

21  2, 2005, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through

22  reenactment by the Legislature.

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

24  necessity that home addresses, telephone numbers, social

25  security numbers, and photographs of employees of the

26  Department of Children and Family Services who provide

27  services to abused, neglected, abandoned, or exploited

28  children, disabled adults, and elderly persons and their

29  families be exempt from the public records laws of this state

30  because such employees may encounter individuals who are angry

31  or upset with the circumstances surrounding the involvement of

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2289

    606-142A-00






  1  the Department of Children and Family Services.  If any of

  2  these individuals gains access to the personal information

  3  specified in this section, the individual could use that

  4  information to threaten, intimidate, harass, or cause physical

  5  harm or other injury to the employees.  Therefore, the

  6  Legislature finds that it is a public necessity that the

  7  personal information of employees of the Department of

  8  Children and Family Services, as mentioned above, be exempt

  9  from disclosure pursuant to the public records laws of this

10  state, in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of

11  these employees.  In addition, the Legislature finds that it

12  is a public necessity that such personal information be exempt

13  from public records laws of this state because without such an

14  exemption, the Department of Children and Family Services may

15  be unable to obtain qualified personnel due to safety

16  concerns, thus impeding the effective and efficient

17  administration of the services offered.  These exemptions are

18  consistent with the long-standing policy of the state under s.

19  119.07(3)(i), Florida Statutes.

20         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming

21  law.

22

23            *****************************************

24                          HOUSE SUMMARY

25
      Provides an exemption from public records requirements
26    for the home addresses, telephone numbers, social
      security numbers, and photographs of personnel of the
27    Department of Children and Family Services who provide
      services to abused, neglected, abandoned, or exploited
28    children, disabled adults, and elderly persons and their
      families. Provides for future review and repeal.
29

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