Florida Senate - 2026                                    SB 1162
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       40-01594-26                                           20261162__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to public records; amending s. 11.92,
    3         F.S.; providing a public records exemption for
    4         correspondence and communications with the Office of
    5         the Corrections Ombudsman and the Corrections
    6         Oversight Committee; providing a statement of public
    7         necessity; providing a contingent effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Subsections (8) through (10) of section 11.92,
   12  Florida Statutes, as created by SB ____, 2026 Regular Session,
   13  are renumbered as subsections (9) through (11), respectively,
   14  and a new subsection (8) is added to that section, to read:
   15         11.92 Office of the Corrections Ombudsman.—
   16         (8) Correspondence and communications between incarcerated
   17  persons or the public and the office, the Ombudsman, the members
   18  of the committee, and office staff are confidential and exempt
   19  from s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.
   20         Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public
   21  necessity that correspondence and communications with the Office
   22  of the Corrections Ombudsman and the Corrections Oversight
   23  Committee be made confidential and exempt from s. 24(a), Article
   24  I of the State Constitution. Public disclosure of such
   25  correspondence and communications could jeopardize the safety of
   26  incarcerated persons. It is essential to the functioning of the
   27  office that incarcerated persons and the public feel free to
   28  communicate with the office concerning conditions in and
   29  operations of correctional facilities. The public records
   30  exemption is necessary to protect incarcerated persons from
   31  retaliation by correctional officers who are under investigation
   32  as a result of communications with the office.
   33         Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date that
   34  SB ___ or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation
   35  is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension
   36  thereof and becomes a law.