Florida Senate - 2026                                     SB 942
       
       
        
       By Senator Calatayud
       
       
       
       
       
       38-01230-26                                            2026942__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to motor vehicle operator privacy;
    3         providing a short title; amending s. 119.0712, F.S.;
    4         defining terms; prohibiting certain personal
    5         information and e-mail addresses from being sold to or
    6         shared with a third-party company, foreign country of
    7         concern, or foreign principal; providing for
    8         retroactive application; providing penalties for a
    9         third-party company that uses or releases certain
   10         information for a specified purpose; providing an
   11         effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Driver Privacy
   16  Act.”
   17         Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 119.0712, Florida
   18  Statutes, is amended to read:
   19         119.0712 Executive branch agency-specific exemptions from
   20  inspection or copying of public records.—
   21         (2) DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAY SAFETY AND MOTOR VEHICLES.—
   22         (a) For purposes of this subsection, the term:
   23         1.“Foreign country of concern” has the same meaning as in
   24  s. 692.201.
   25         2.“Foreign principal” has the same meaning as in s.
   26  692.201.
   27         3. “Motor vehicle record” means any record that pertains to
   28  a motor vehicle operator’s permit, motor vehicle title, motor
   29  vehicle registration, or identification card issued by the
   30  Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
   31         4.“Public-facing portal” means a web portal or computer
   32  application accessible by the public over the Internet, whether
   33  through a mobile device, a website, or any other electronic
   34  means, which is established for administering chapter 319,
   35  chapter 320, chapter 322, chapter 328, or any other provision of
   36  law conferring duties upon the department.
   37         5.“Secure login credentials” means information held by the
   38  department for purposes of authenticating a user logging into a
   39  user account on a computer, a computer system, a computer
   40  network, or an electronic device; an online user account
   41  accessible over the Internet, whether through a mobile device, a
   42  website, or any other electronic means; or information used for
   43  authentication or password recovery.
   44         6.“Third-party company” means any marketing firm, debt
   45  collector, insurance company, or data broker.
   46         (b) Personal information, including highly restricted
   47  personal information as defined in 18 U.S.C. s. 2725, contained
   48  in a motor vehicle record is confidential pursuant to the
   49  federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994, 18 U.S.C. ss.
   50  2721 et seq. Such information may be released only as authorized
   51  by that act; however, information received pursuant to that act
   52  may not be used for mass commercial solicitation of clients for
   53  litigation against motor vehicle dealers and may not be sold to
   54  or shared with a third-party company, foreign country of
   55  concern, or foreign principal.
   56         (c) E-mail addresses collected by the Department of Highway
   57  Safety and Motor Vehicles pursuant to s. 319.40(3), s.
   58  320.95(2), or s. 322.08(10) are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s.
   59  24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution and may not be sold to
   60  or shared with a third-party company, foreign country of
   61  concern, or foreign principal. This exemption applies
   62  retroactively.
   63         (d)1. Emergency contact information contained in a motor
   64  vehicle record is confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and
   65  s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.
   66         2. Without the express consent of the person to whom such
   67  emergency contact information applies, the emergency contact
   68  information contained in a motor vehicle record may be released
   69  only to:
   70         a. Law enforcement agencies for purposes of contacting
   71  those listed in the event of an emergency.
   72         b. A receiving facility, hospital, or licensed
   73  detoxification or addictions receiving facility pursuant to s.
   74  394.463(2)(a) or s. 397.6772(1)(a) for the sole purpose of
   75  informing a patient’s emergency contacts of the patient’s
   76  whereabouts.
   77         (e) Any person or third-party company that who uses or
   78  releases any information contained in the Driver and Vehicle
   79  Information Database for a purpose not specifically authorized
   80  by law commits a noncriminal infraction, punishable by a fine
   81  not exceeding $2,000.
   82         (f)1. Secure login credentials held by the Department of
   83  Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles are exempt from s. 119.07(1)
   84  and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. This exemption
   85  applies to secure login credentials held by the department
   86  before, on, or after the effective date of the exemption. For
   87  purposes of this subparagraph, the term “secure login
   88  credentials” means information held by the department for
   89  purposes of authenticating a user logging into a user account on
   90  a computer, a computer system, a computer network, or an
   91  electronic device; an online user account accessible over the
   92  Internet, whether through a mobile device, a website, or any
   93  other electronic means; or information used for authentication
   94  or password recovery.
   95         2. Internet protocol addresses, geolocation data, and other
   96  information held by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor
   97  Vehicles which describes the location, computer, computer
   98  system, or computer network from which a user accesses a public
   99  facing portal, and the dates and times that a user accesses a
  100  public-facing portal, are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a),
  101  Art. I of the State Constitution. This exemption applies to such
  102  information held by the department before, on, or after the
  103  effective date of the exemption. For purposes of this
  104  subparagraph, the term “public-facing portal” means a web portal
  105  or computer application accessible by the public over the
  106  Internet, whether through a mobile device, website, or other
  107  electronic means, which is established for administering chapter
  108  319, chapter 320, chapter 322, chapter 328, or any other
  109  provision of law conferring duties upon the department.
  110         3. This paragraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset
  111  Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed
  112  on October 2, 2026, unless reviewed and saved from repeal
  113  through reenactment by the Legislature.
  114         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.