No. SB 1514
Filed under Transportation.
Public Records and Meetings/Space Florida; Providing an exemption from public records requirements for information held by Space Florida which is a trade secret; providing that portions of meetings of Space Florida’s board of directors during which such confidential and exempt information is discussed are closed to the public and exempt from public meetings requirements; providing an exemption from public records requirements for records generated during closed portions of such meetings; providing for legislative review and repeal of the exemptions; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDThis section already existed once and lapsed on October 2, 2021, when nobody reenacted it in time. This bill revives it, meaning Space Florida currently has no trade-secret shield until this bill takes effect.
Trade secrets held by Space Florida, a spaceport user, or a space industry business become confidential, exempt from public records law, and may not be disclosed.
Only the specific portion of a board meeting where truly exempt information is discussed can be closed to the public, not the whole meeting, as the prior version allowed.
The revived exemption automatically expires again on October 2, 2031, unless the Legislature reenacts it, the same kind of deadline that was missed once already.
AISection 331.326 automatically repealed on October 2, 2021 when it went unreviewed, leaving Space Florida with no trade-secret shield since. This bill revives, reenacts, and amends that section, restoring it to force.
AIAny trade secret held by Space Florida, a spaceport user, or a space industry business is confidential, exempt from the public records law and the constitutional right to inspect records, and the section states it may not be disclosed.
AIThe revived section deletes the prior option to close an entire board meeting whenever trade secrets came up. Now only the specific portion of a meeting discussing genuinely exempt information is closed to the public.
AIMinutes, recordings, or notes generated during the closed portion of a Space Florida board meeting are themselves confidential and exempt from the public records law, not just the discussion itself.
AIIf Space Florida decides requested information would reveal a trade secret, it must notify the requester in writing, and that decision is a final order that can be challenged like any other agency action.
AIThe exemption is not permanent: it remains subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act and will automatically repeal again on October 2, 2031 unless the Legislature reviews and reenacts it before then.