Florida Senate - 2025                             CS for SB 1658
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Banking and Insurance; and Senator Collins
       
       
       
       
       
       597-02492-25                                          20251658c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to public records; amending s.
    3         627.711, F.S.; providing an exemption from public
    4         records requirements for certain data entered into the
    5         uniform mitigation verification inspection form
    6         database; providing for future legislative review and
    7         repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of
    8         public necessity; providing a contingent effective
    9         date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (2) of
   14  section 627.711, Florida Statutes, as amended by SB 1656 or
   15  similar legislation, 2025 Regular Session, to read:
   16         627.711 Notice of premium discounts for hurricane loss
   17  mitigation; uniform mitigation verification inspection form.—
   18         (2)
   19         (f)1. Electronic submissions provided pursuant to paragraph
   20  (d) and the associated data entered into the database, including
   21  the policyholder’s identity, phone numbers, e-mail addresses,
   22  insurance company, and insurance policy numbers, are
   23  confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I
   24  of the State Constitution.
   25         2. This paragraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset
   26  Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed
   27  on October 2, 2030, unless reviewed and saved from repeal
   28  through reenactment by the Legislature.
   29         Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public
   30  necessity that statewide uniform mitigation verification
   31  inspection forms submitted electronically by insurers which
   32  reveal the policyholder’s name, identity, phone numbers, e-mail
   33  addresses, insurance company, and insurance policy number be
   34  made confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida
   35  Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the State Constitution.
   36  Uniform mitigation verification inspection forms reveal critical
   37  personal identifying information regarding policyholders and, in
   38  aggregate, can be used to identify information claimed as a
   39  trade secret pursuant to s. 624.4213, Florida Statutes.
   40  Disclosing personal identifying information contained in the
   41  uniform mitigation verification inspection form significantly
   42  undermines the privacy of policyholders and can result in the
   43  release of otherwise exempt trade secret information protections
   44  claimed by insurers. Pervasive use of the Internet and related
   45  technologies abet those with malicious purposes in exploiting
   46  the use of personal identifying information within such forms,
   47  creating ever-expanding threats to privacy and security never
   48  envisioned in generations past. The establishment of a statewide
   49  database to be operated by the Office of Insurance Regulation
   50  will lead to a single repository with a vast amount of personal
   51  identifying information. Furthermore, the public disclosure of
   52  such information could hinder the effective and efficient
   53  administration of the database. Therefore, the Legislature finds
   54  that it is a public necessity to make exempt from public records
   55  requirements the personal identifying information contained in
   56  uniform mitigation verification inspection form electronic
   57  submissions.
   58         Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date that
   59  SB 1656 or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation
   60  is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension
   61  thereof and becomes a law.