1 | A bill to be entitled |
2 | An act relating to public records; amending s. 119.071, |
3 | F.S.; creating an exemption from public records |
4 | requirements for personal identifying and location |
5 | information of current and former public defenders and |
6 | criminal conflict and civil regional counsel and the |
7 | spouses and children of such defenders or counsel; |
8 | providing for future legislative review and repeal of the |
9 | exemption; providing a statement of public necessity; |
10 | providing an effective date. |
11 |
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12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
13 |
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14 | Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) of section |
15 | 119.071, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
16 | 119.071 General exemptions from inspection or copying of |
17 | public records.- |
18 | (4) AGENCY PERSONNEL INFORMATION.- |
19 | (d)1.a. The home addresses, telephone numbers, social |
20 | security numbers, and photographs of active or former law |
21 | enforcement personnel, including correctional and correctional |
22 | probation officers, personnel of the Department of Children and |
23 | Family Services whose duties include the investigation of abuse, |
24 | neglect, exploitation, fraud, theft, or other criminal |
25 | activities, personnel of the Department of Health whose duties |
26 | are to support the investigation of child abuse or neglect, and |
27 | personnel of the Department of Revenue or local governments |
28 | whose responsibilities include revenue collection and |
29 | enforcement or child support enforcement; the home addresses, |
30 | telephone numbers, social security numbers, photographs, and |
31 | places of employment of the spouses and children of such |
32 | personnel; and the names and locations of schools and day care |
33 | facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt |
34 | from s. 119.07(1). |
35 | b. The home addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs |
36 | of firefighters certified in compliance with s. 633.35; the home |
37 | addresses, telephone numbers, photographs, and places of |
38 | employment of the spouses and children of such firefighters; and |
39 | the names and locations of schools and day care facilities |
40 | attended by the children of such firefighters are exempt from s. |
41 | 119.07(1). |
42 | c. The home addresses and telephone numbers of justices of |
43 | the Supreme Court, district court of appeal judges, circuit |
44 | court judges, and county court judges; the home addresses, |
45 | telephone numbers, and places of employment of the spouses and |
46 | children of justices and judges; and the names and locations of |
47 | schools and day care facilities attended by the children of |
48 | justices and judges are exempt from s. 119.07(1). |
49 | d. The home addresses, telephone numbers, social security |
50 | numbers, and photographs of current or former state attorneys, |
51 | assistant state attorneys, statewide prosecutors, or assistant |
52 | statewide prosecutors; the home addresses, telephone numbers, |
53 | social security numbers, photographs, and places of employment |
54 | of the spouses and children of current or former state |
55 | attorneys, assistant state attorneys, statewide prosecutors, or |
56 | assistant statewide prosecutors; and the names and locations of |
57 | schools and day care facilities attended by the children of |
58 | current or former state attorneys, assistant state attorneys, |
59 | statewide prosecutors, or assistant statewide prosecutors are |
60 | exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State |
61 | Constitution. |
62 | e. The home addresses and telephone numbers of general |
63 | magistrates, special magistrates, judges of compensation claims, |
64 | administrative law judges of the Division of Administrative |
65 | Hearings, and child support enforcement hearing officers; the |
66 | home addresses, telephone numbers, and places of employment of |
67 | the spouses and children of general magistrates, special |
68 | magistrates, judges of compensation claims, administrative law |
69 | judges of the Division of Administrative Hearings, and child |
70 | support enforcement hearing officers; and the names and |
71 | locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the |
72 | children of general magistrates, special magistrates, judges of |
73 | compensation claims, administrative law judges of the Division |
74 | of Administrative Hearings, and child support enforcement |
75 | hearing officers are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. |
76 | I of the State Constitution if the general magistrate, special |
77 | magistrate, judge of compensation claims, administrative law |
78 | judge of the Division of Administrative Hearings, or child |
79 | support hearing officer provides a written statement that the |
80 | general magistrate, special magistrate, judge of compensation |
81 | claims, administrative law judge of the Division of |
82 | Administrative Hearings, or child support hearing officer has |
83 | made reasonable efforts to protect such information from being |
84 | accessible through other means available to the public. This |
85 | sub-subparagraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review |
86 | Act in accordance with s. 119.15, and shall stand repealed on |
87 | October 2, 2013, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through |
88 | reenactment by the Legislature. |
89 | f. The home addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs |
90 | of current or former human resource, labor relations, or |
91 | employee relations directors, assistant directors, managers, or |
92 | assistant managers of any local government agency or water |
93 | management district whose duties include hiring and firing |
94 | employees, labor contract negotiation, administration, or other |
95 | personnel-related duties; the names, home addresses, telephone |
96 | numbers, and places of employment of the spouses and children of |
97 | such personnel; and the names and locations of schools and day |
98 | care facilities attended by the children of such personnel are |
99 | exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State |
100 | Constitution. |
101 | g. The home addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs |
102 | of current or former code enforcement officers; the names, home |
103 | addresses, telephone numbers, and places of employment of the |
104 | spouses and children of such personnel; and the names and |
105 | locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the |
106 | children of such personnel are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. |
107 | 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. |
108 | h. The home addresses, telephone numbers, places of |
109 | employment, and photographs of current or former guardians ad |
110 | litem, as defined in s. 39.820, and the names, home addresses, |
111 | telephone numbers, and places of employment of the spouses and |
112 | children of such persons, are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. |
113 | 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution, if the guardian ad |
114 | litem provides a written statement that the guardian ad litem |
115 | has made reasonable efforts to protect such information from |
116 | being accessible through other means available to the public. |
117 | This sub-subparagraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset |
118 | Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed |
119 | on October 2, 2010, unless reviewed and saved from repeal |
120 | through reenactment by the Legislature. |
121 | i. The home addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs |
122 | of current or former juvenile probation officers, juvenile |
123 | probation supervisors, detention superintendents, assistant |
124 | detention superintendents, senior juvenile detention officers, |
125 | juvenile detention officer supervisors, juvenile detention |
126 | officers, house parents I and II, house parent supervisors, |
127 | group treatment leaders, group treatment leader supervisors, |
128 | rehabilitation therapists, and social services counselors of the |
129 | Department of Juvenile Justice; the names, home addresses, |
130 | telephone numbers, and places of employment of spouses and |
131 | children of such personnel; and the names and locations of |
132 | schools and day care facilities attended by the children of such |
133 | personnel are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of |
134 | the State Constitution. This sub-subparagraph is subject to the |
135 | Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 |
136 | and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2011, unless reviewed and |
137 | saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. |
138 | j. The home addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs |
139 | of current or former public defenders, assistant public |
140 | defenders, criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, and |
141 | assistant criminal conflict and civil regional counsel; the home |
142 | addresses, telephone numbers, and places of employment of the |
143 | spouses and children of such defenders or counsel; and the names |
144 | and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the |
145 | children of such defenders or counsel are exempt from s. |
146 | 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. This |
147 | sub-subparagraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review |
148 | Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on |
149 | October 2, 2015, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through |
150 | reenactment by the Legislature. |
151 | 2. An agency that is the custodian of the information |
152 | specified in subparagraph 1. and that is not the employer of the |
153 | officer, employee, justice, judge, or other person specified in |
154 | subparagraph 1. shall maintain the exempt status of that |
155 | information only if the officer, employee, justice, judge, other |
156 | person, or employing agency of the designated employee submits a |
157 | written request for maintenance of the exemption to the |
158 | custodial agency. |
159 | Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public |
160 | necessity to exempt from disclosure under the public records |
161 | laws of the state personal identifying and location information |
162 | of current and former public defenders, assistant public |
163 | defenders, criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, and |
164 | assistant criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, and the |
165 | spouses and children of such defenders or counsel. In the course |
166 | of representing defendants in criminal prosecutions, these |
167 | attorneys routinely interact with individuals who have criminal |
168 | records or who are currently engaged in or suspected of criminal |
169 | activity. These attorneys also interact with the victims of |
170 | crimes. In addition, criminal conflict and civil regional |
171 | counsel and their assistants also provide representation in |
172 | sensitive civil matters, such as those in which a person's |
173 | parental rights may be terminated based on allegations of |
174 | perpetrating abuse and neglect against a child. By providing |
175 | legal representation in criminal and civil matters, these |
176 | attorneys provide a valuable service. However, parties to such |
177 | criminal and civil matters may become disgruntled by the |
178 | proceedings or the outcome of a case, which can result in the |
179 | attorneys and their families becoming targets for acts of |
180 | violence. Disclosure of the information protected under the |
181 | public records exemption created by this act would jeopardize |
182 | the safety of these attorneys and their families. Therefore, it |
183 | is the finding of the Legislature that it is a public necessity |
184 | to exempt from disclosure under the public records laws of this |
185 | state the home addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs of |
186 | current or former public defenders, assistant public defenders, |
187 | criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, and assistant |
188 | criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, the home |
189 | addresses, telephone numbers, and places of employment of the |
190 | spouses and children of such defenders or counsel, and the names |
191 | and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the |
192 | children of such defenders or counsel. |
193 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010. |