Florida Senate - 2014                                    SB 1046
       
       
        
       By Senator Galvano
       
       
       
       
       
       26-01759-14                                           20141046__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to public records; amending s.
    3         316.066, F.S.; providing an exemption from public
    4         records requirements for certain personal contact
    5         information contained in motor vehicle crash reports;
    6         providing for future legislative review and repeal of
    7         the exemption; providing a statement of public
    8         necessity; providing a contingent effective date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Paragraph (g) is added to subsection (2) of
   13  section 316.066, Florida Statutes, as amended by SB 876, 2014
   14  Regular Session, to read:
   15         316.066 Written reports of crashes.—
   16         (2)
   17         (g) Radio and television stations licensed by the Federal
   18  Communications Commission, newspapers qualified to publish legal
   19  notices under ss. 50.011 and 50.031, and free newspapers of
   20  general circulation published once a week or more often,
   21  available and of interest to the public generally for the
   22  dissemination of news, which request crash reports before 60
   23  days have elapsed after the report is filed must request such
   24  crash reports on an individual basis and may not have access to
   25  the home, cellular, employment, or other telephone number or the
   26  home or employment address of any of the parties involved in the
   27  crash. This paragraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset
   28  Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed
   29  on October 2, 2019, unless reviewed and saved from repeal
   30  through reenactment by the Legislature.
   31         Section 2. The Legislature finds that the personal contact
   32  information contained in a motor vehicle crash report is
   33  confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and
   34  s. 24(a), Article I of the State Constitution for 60 days after
   35  the report is filed and that it is a public necessity that
   36  access to such information during that 60-day period by
   37  newspapers and radio and television stations be restricted to
   38  combat widespread insurance fraud that occurs when the
   39  information is unlawfully used to contact the parties involved
   40  in a crash. The exemption prohibits access by newspapers and
   41  television and radio stations to the addresses and telephone
   42  numbers of the parties involved in a crash to protect the
   43  parties from those who would unlawfully solicit the parties to
   44  make claims against their personal injury protection insurance
   45  policies.
   46         Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date that
   47  SB 876 or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation
   48  is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension
   49  thereof and becomes law.