SB 1546 full text · Session Watch

Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1546 By Senator Rodriguez 40-01511A-26 20261546__

1 A bill to be entitled

2 An act relating to public records; amending s.

3 119.071, F.S.; providing an exemption from public

4 records requirements for the personal identifying and

5 location information of current and former employees

6 and commissioners of the Commission on Ethics and

7 their spouses and dependents; providing for future

8 legislative review and repeal of the exemption;

9 providing for retroactive application of the

10 exemption; providing a statement of public necessity;

11 providing an effective date.

13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

15 Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) of section

16 119.071, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

17 119.071 General exemptions from inspection or copying of

18 public records.—

19 (4) AGENCY PERSONNEL INFORMATION.—

20 (d)1. For purposes of this paragraph, the term:

21 a. “Home addresses” means the dwelling location at which an

22 individual resides and includes the physical address, mailing

23 address, street address, parcel identification number, plot

24 identification number, legal property description, neighborhood

25 name and lot number, GPS coordinates, and any other descriptive

26 property information that may reveal the home address.

27 b. “Judicial assistant” means a court employee assigned to

28 the following class codes: 8140, 8150, 8310, and 8320.

29 c. “Telephone numbers” includes home telephone numbers,

30 personal cellular telephone numbers, personal pager telephone

31 numbers, and telephone numbers associated with personal

32 communications devices.

33 2.a. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

34 and photographs of active or former sworn law enforcement

35 personnel or of active or former civilian personnel employed by

36 a law enforcement agency, including correctional and

37 correctional probation officers, personnel of the Department of

38 Children and Families whose duties include the investigation of

39 abuse, neglect, exploitation, fraud, theft, or other criminal

40 activities, personnel of the Department of Health whose duties

41 are to support the investigation of child abuse or neglect, and

42 personnel of the Department of Revenue or local governments

43 whose responsibilities include revenue collection and

44 enforcement or child support enforcement; the names, home

45 addresses, telephone numbers, photographs, dates of birth, and

46 places of employment of the spouses and children of such

47 personnel; and the names and locations of schools and day care

48 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt

49 from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

50 Constitution.

51 b. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

52 and photographs of current or former nonsworn investigative

53 personnel of the Department of Financial Services whose duties

54 include the investigation of fraud, theft, workers’ compensation

55 coverage requirements and compliance, other related criminal

56 activities, or state regulatory requirement violations; the

57 names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and

58 places of employment of the spouses and children of such

59 personnel; and the names and locations of schools and day care

60 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt

61 from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

62 Constitution.

63 c. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

64 and photographs of current or former nonsworn investigative

65 personnel of the Office of Financial Regulation’s Bureau of

66 Financial Investigations whose duties include the investigation

67 of fraud, theft, other related criminal activities, or state

68 regulatory requirement violations; the names, home addresses,

69 telephone numbers, dates of birth, and places of employment of

70 the spouses and children of such personnel; and the names and

71 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

72 children of such personnel are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s.

73 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

74 d. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

75 and photographs of current or former firefighters certified in

76 compliance with s. 633.408; the names, home addresses, telephone

77 numbers, photographs, dates of birth, and places of employment

78 of the spouses and children of such firefighters; and the names

79 and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

80 children of such firefighters are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and

81 s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

82 e. The home addresses, dates of birth, and telephone

83 numbers of current or former justices of the Supreme Court,

84 district court of appeal judges, circuit court judges, and

85 county court judges and current judicial assistants; the names,

86 home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and places of

87 employment of the spouses and children of current or former

88 justices and judges and current judicial assistants; and the

89 names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended

90 by the children of current or former justices and judges and of

91 current judicial assistants are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s.

92 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. This sub-subparagraph

93 is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in

94 accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2,

95 2028, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment

96 by the Legislature.

97 f. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

98 and photographs of current or former state attorneys, assistant

99 state attorneys, statewide prosecutors, or assistant statewide

100 prosecutors; the names, home addresses, telephone numbers,

101 photographs, dates of birth, and places of employment of the

102 spouses and children of current or former state attorneys,

103 assistant state attorneys, statewide prosecutors, or assistant

104 statewide prosecutors; and the names and locations of schools

105 and day care facilities attended by the children of current or

106 former state attorneys, assistant state attorneys, statewide

107 prosecutors, or assistant statewide prosecutors are exempt from

108 s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

109 g. The home addresses, dates of birth, and telephone

110 numbers of general magistrates, special magistrates, judges of

111 compensation claims, administrative law judges of the Division

112 of Administrative Hearings, and child support enforcement

113 hearing officers; the names, home addresses, telephone numbers,

114 dates of birth, and places of employment of the spouses and

115 children of general magistrates, special magistrates, judges of

116 compensation claims, administrative law judges of the Division

117 of Administrative Hearings, and child support enforcement

118 hearing officers; and the names and locations of schools and day

119 care facilities attended by the children of general magistrates,

120 special magistrates, judges of compensation claims,

121 administrative law judges of the Division of Administrative

122 Hearings, and child support enforcement hearing officers are

123 exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

124 Constitution.

125 h. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

126 and photographs of current or former human resource, labor

127 relations, or employee relations directors, assistant directors,

128 managers, or assistant managers of any local government agency

129 or water management district whose duties include hiring and

130 firing employees, labor contract negotiation, administration, or

131 other personnel-related duties; the names, home addresses,

132 telephone numbers, dates of birth, and places of employment of

133 the spouses and children of such personnel; and the names and

134 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

135 children of such personnel are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s.

136 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

137 i. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

138 and photographs of current or former code enforcement officers;

139 the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

140 and places of employment of the spouses and children of such

141 personnel; and the names and locations of schools and day care

142 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt

143 from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

144 Constitution.

145 j. The home addresses, telephone numbers, places of

146 employment, dates of birth, and photographs of current or former

147 guardians ad litem, as defined in s. 39.01; the names, home

148 addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and places of

149 employment of the spouses and children of such persons; and the

150 names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended

151 by the children of such persons are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and

152 s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

153 k. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

154 and photographs of current or former juvenile probation

155 officers, juvenile probation supervisors, detention

156 superintendents, assistant detention superintendents, juvenile

157 justice detention officers I and II, juvenile justice detention

158 officer supervisors, juvenile justice residential officers,

159 juvenile justice residential officer supervisors I and II,

160 juvenile justice counselors, juvenile justice counselor

161 supervisors, human services counselor administrators, senior

162 human services counselor administrators, rehabilitation

163 therapists, and social services counselors of the Department of

164 Juvenile Justice; the names, home addresses, telephone numbers,

165 dates of birth, and places of employment of spouses and children

166 of such personnel; and the names and locations of schools and

167 day care facilities attended by the children of such personnel

168 are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

169 Constitution.

170 l. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

171 and photographs of current or former public defenders, assistant

172 public defenders, criminal conflict and civil regional counsel,

173 and assistant criminal conflict and civil regional counsel; the

174 names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and

175 places of employment of the spouses and children of current or

176 former public defenders, assistant public defenders, criminal

177 conflict and civil regional counsel, and assistant criminal

178 conflict and civil regional counsel; and the names and locations

179 of schools and day care facilities attended by the children of

180 current or former public defenders, assistant public defenders,

181 criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, and assistant

182 criminal conflict and civil regional counsel are exempt from s.

183 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

184 m. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

185 and photographs of current or former investigators or inspectors

186 of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation; the

187 names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and

188 places of employment of the spouses and children of such current

189 or former investigators and inspectors; and the names and

190 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

191 children of such current or former investigators and inspectors

192 are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

193 Constitution.

194 n. The home addresses, telephone numbers, and dates of

195 birth of county tax collectors; the names, home addresses,

196 telephone numbers, dates of birth, and places of employment of

197 the spouses and children of such tax collectors; and the names

198 and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

199 children of such tax collectors are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and

200 s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

201 o. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

202 and photographs of current or former personnel of the Department

203 of Health whose duties include, or result in, the determination

204 or adjudication of eligibility for social security disability

205 benefits, the investigation or prosecution of complaints filed

206 against health care practitioners, or the inspection of health

207 care practitioners or health care facilities licensed by the

208 Department of Health; the names, home addresses, telephone

209 numbers, dates of birth, and places of employment of the spouses

210 and children of such personnel; and the names and locations of

211 schools and day care facilities attended by the children of such

212 personnel are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of

213 the State Constitution.

214 p. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

215 and photographs of current or former impaired practitioner

216 consultants who are retained by an agency or current or former

217 employees of an impaired practitioner consultant whose duties

218 result in a determination of a person’s skill and safety to

219 practice a licensed profession; the names, home addresses,

220 telephone numbers, dates of birth, and places of employment of

221 the spouses and children of such consultants or their employees;

222 and the names and locations of schools and day care facilities

223 attended by the children of such consultants or employees are

224 exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

225 Constitution.

226 q. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

227 and photographs of current or former emergency medical

228 technicians or paramedics certified under chapter 401; the

229 names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and

230 places of employment of the spouses and children of such

231 emergency medical technicians or paramedics; and the names and

232 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

233 children of such emergency medical technicians or paramedics are

234 exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

235 Constitution.

236 r. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

237 and photographs of current or former personnel employed in an

238 agency’s office of inspector general or internal audit

239 department whose duties include auditing or investigating waste,

240 fraud, abuse, theft, exploitation, or other activities that

241 could lead to criminal prosecution or administrative discipline;

242 the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

243 and places of employment of spouses and children of such

244 personnel; and the names and locations of schools and day care

245 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt

246 from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

247 Constitution.

248 s. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

249 and photographs of current or former directors, managers,

250 supervisors, nurses, and clinical employees of an addiction

251 treatment facility; the home addresses, telephone numbers,

252 photographs, dates of birth, and places of employment of the

253 spouses and children of such personnel; and the names and

254 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

255 children of such personnel are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s.

256 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. For purposes of this

257 sub-subparagraph, the term “addiction treatment facility” means

258 a county government, or agency thereof, that is licensed

259 pursuant to s. 397.401 and provides substance abuse prevention,

260 intervention, or clinical treatment, including any licensed

261 service component described in s. 397.311(27).

262 t. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

263 and photographs of current or former directors, managers,

264 supervisors, and clinical employees of a child advocacy center

265 that meets the standards of s. 39.3035(2) and fulfills the

266 screening requirement of s. 39.3035(3), and the members of a

267 Child Protection Team as described in s. 39.303 whose duties

268 include supporting the investigation of child abuse or sexual

269 abuse, child abandonment, child neglect, and child exploitation

270 or to provide services as part of a multidisciplinary case

271 review team; the names, home addresses, telephone numbers,

272 photographs, dates of birth, and places of employment of the

273 spouses and children of such personnel and members; and the

274 names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended

275 by the children of such personnel and members are exempt from s.

276 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

277 u. The home addresses, telephone numbers, places of

278 employment, dates of birth, and photographs of current or former

279 staff and domestic violence advocates, as defined in s.

280 90.5036(1)(b), of domestic violence centers certified by the

281 Department of Children and Families under chapter 39; the names,

282 home addresses, telephone numbers, places of employment, dates

283 of birth, and photographs of the spouses and children of such

284 personnel; and the names and locations of schools and day care

285 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt

286 from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

287 Constitution.

288 v. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

289 and photographs of current or former inspectors or investigators

290 of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; the

291 names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and

292 places of employment of the spouses and children of current or

293 former inspectors or investigators; and the names and locations

294 of schools and day care facilities attended by the children of

295 current or former inspectors or investigators are exempt from s.

296 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. This

297 sub-subparagraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review

298 Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on

299 October 2, 2028, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through

300 reenactment by the Legislature.

301 w. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

302 and photographs of current county attorneys, assistant county

303 attorneys, deputy county attorneys, city attorneys, assistant

304 city attorneys, and deputy city attorneys; the names, home

305 addresses, telephone numbers, photographs, dates of birth, and

306 places of employment of the spouses and children of current

307 county attorneys, assistant county attorneys, deputy county

308 attorneys, city attorneys, assistant city attorneys, and deputy

309 city attorneys; and the names and locations of schools and day

310 care facilities attended by the children of current county

311 attorneys, assistant county attorneys, deputy county attorneys,

312 city attorneys, assistant city attorneys, and deputy city

313 attorneys are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of

314 the State Constitution. This exemption does not apply to a

315 county attorney, assistant county attorney, deputy county

316 attorney, city attorney, assistant city attorney, or deputy city

317 attorney who qualifies as a candidate for election to public

318 office. This sub-subparagraph is subject to the Open Government

319 Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand

320 repealed on October 2, 2029, unless reviewed and saved from

321 repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

322 x. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

323 and photographs of current or former commissioners of the

324 Florida Gaming Control Commission; the names, home addresses,

325 telephone numbers, dates of birth, photographs, and places of

326 employment of the spouses and children of such current or former

327 commissioners; and the names and locations of schools and day

328 care facilities attended by the children of such current or

329 former commissioners are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a),

330 Art. I of the State Constitution. This sub-subparagraph is

331 subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance

332 with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2029,

333 unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the

334 Legislature.

335 y. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth,

336 and photographs of current clerks of the circuit court, deputy

337 clerks of the circuit court, and clerk of the circuit court

338 personnel; the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates

339 of birth, and places of employment of the spouses and children

340 of current clerks of the circuit court, deputy clerks of the

341 circuit court, and clerk of the circuit court personnel; and the

342 names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended

343 by the children of current clerks of the circuit court, deputy

344 clerks of the circuit court, and clerk of the circuit court

345 personnel are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of

346 the State Constitution. This sub-subparagraph is subject to the

347 Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15

348 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2029, unless reviewed and

349 saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

350 z.(I) As used in this sub-subparagraph, the term:

351 (A) “Congressional member” means a person who is elected to

352 serve as a member of the United States House of Representatives

353 or is elected or appointed to serve as a member of the United

354 States Senate.

355 (B) “Partial home address” means the dwelling location at

356 which an individual resides and includes the physical address,

357 mailing address, street address, parcel identification number,

358 plot identification number, legal property description,

359 neighborhood name and lot number, GPS coordinates, and any other

360 descriptive property information that may reveal the partial

361 home address, except for the city and zip code.

362 (C) “Public officer” means a person who holds one of the

363 following offices: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Chief

364 Financial Officer, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner,

365 state representative, state senator, property appraiser,

366 supervisor of elections, school superintendent, school board

367 member, mayor, city commissioner, or county commissioner.

368 (II) The following information is exempt from s. 119.07(1)

369 and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution:

370 (A) The partial home addresses of a current congressional

371 member or public officer and his or her spouse or adult child.

372 (B) The telephone numbers of a current congressional member

373 or public officer and his or her spouse or adult child.

374 (C) The name, home addresses, telephone numbers, and date

375 of birth of a minor child of a current congressional member or

376 public officer and the name and location of the school or day

377 care facility attended by the minor child.

378 (III) This sub-subparagraph is subject to the Open

379 Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and

380 shall stand repealed on October 2, 2030, unless reviewed and

381 saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

382 aa. The home addresses, telephone numbers, and dates of

383 birth of current and former employees and commissioners of the

384 Commission on Ethics; the names, home addresses, telephone

385 numbers, dates of birth, photographs, and places of employment

386 of the spouses and children of current and former employees and

387 commissioners of the Commission on Ethics; and the names and

388 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

389 children of current and former employees and commissioners of

390 the Commission on Ethics are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s.

391 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. This sub-subparagraph

392 is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in

393 accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2,

394 2031, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment

395 by the Legislature.

396 3.a. An agency that is the custodian of the information

397 specified in subparagraph 2. and that is not the employer of the

398 officer, employee, justice, judge, or other person specified in

399 subparagraph 2. must maintain the exempt status of that

400 information only if the officer, employee, justice, judge, other

401 person, or employing agency of the designated employee submits a

402 written and notarized request for maintenance of the exemption

403 to the custodial agency. The request must state under oath the

404 statutory basis for the individual’s exemption request and

405 confirm the individual’s status as a party eligible for exempt

406 status.

407 b. An agency that is the custodian of information specified

408 in sub-subparagraph 2.z. and that is not the employer of the

409 congressional member, public officer, or other person specified

410 in sub-subparagraph 2.z. must maintain the exempt status of that

411 information only if an individual requests the maintenance of an

412 exemption pursuant to sub-subparagraph 2.z. on the basis of

413 eligibility as a current congressional member or public officer

414 and his or her spouse or child submits, as part of the written

415 and notarized request required by sub-subparagraph a., the date

416 of the congressional member’s or public officer’s election or

417 appointment to public office, the date on which that office is

418 next subject to election, and, if applicable, the date on which

419 the current congressional member’s or public officer’s minor

420 child reaches the age of majority. The custodian must maintain

421 an exemption granted pursuant to sub-subparagraph 2.z. until the

422 qualifying conditions for the exemption no longer apply to the

423 person subject to the exemption.

424 4.a. A county property appraiser, as defined in s.

425 192.001(3), or a county tax collector, as defined in s.

426 192.001(4), who receives a written and notarized request for

427 maintenance of the exemption pursuant to subparagraph 3. must

428 comply by removing the name of the individual with exempt status

429 and the instrument number or Official Records book and page

430 number identifying the property with the exempt status from all

431 publicly available records maintained by the property appraiser

432 or tax collector. For written requests received on or before

433 July 1, 2021, a county property appraiser or county tax

434 collector must comply with this sub-subparagraph by October 1,

435 2021. A county property appraiser or county tax collector may

436 not remove the street address, legal description, or other

437 information identifying real property within the agency’s

438 records so long as a name or personal information otherwise

439 exempt from inspection and copying pursuant to this section is

440 not associated with the property or otherwise displayed in the

441 public records of the agency.

442 b. Any information restricted from public display,

443 inspection, or copying under sub-subparagraph a. must be

444 provided to the individual whose information was removed.

445 5. An officer, an employee, a justice, a judge, or other

446 person specified in subparagraph 2. may submit a written request

447 for the release of his or her exempt information to the

448 custodial agency. The written request must be notarized and must

449 specify the information to be released and the party authorized

450 to receive the information. Upon receipt of the written request,

451 the custodial agency must release the specified information to

452 the party authorized to receive such information.

453 6. The exemptions in this paragraph apply to information

454 held by an agency before, on, or after the effective date of the

455 exemption.

456 7. Information made exempt under this paragraph may be

457 disclosed pursuant to s. 28.2221 to a title insurer authorized

458 pursuant to s. 624.401 and its affiliates as defined in s.

459 624.10; a title insurance agent or title insurance agency as

460 defined in s. 626.841(1) or (2), respectively; or an attorney

461 duly admitted to practice law in this state and in good standing

462 with The Florida Bar.

463 8. The exempt status of a home address contained in the

464 Official Records is maintained only during the period when a

465 protected party resides at the dwelling location. Upon

466 conveyance of real property after October 1, 2021, and when such

467 real property no longer constitutes a protected party’s home

468 address as defined in sub-subparagraph 1.a., the protected party

469 must submit a written request to release the removed information

470 to the county recorder. The written request to release the

471 removed information must be notarized, must confirm that a

472 protected party’s request for release is pursuant to a

473 conveyance of his or her dwelling location, and must specify the

474 Official Records book and page, instrument number, or clerk’s

475 file number for each document containing the information to be

476 released.

477 9. Upon the death of a protected party as verified by a

478 certified copy of a death certificate or court order, any party

479 can request the county recorder to release a protected

480 decedent’s removed information unless there is a related request

481 on file with the county recorder for continued removal of the

482 decedent’s information or unless such removal is otherwise

483 prohibited by statute or by court order. The written request to

484 release the removed information upon the death of a protected

485 party must attach the certified copy of a death certificate or

486 court order and must be notarized, must confirm the request for

487 release is due to the death of a protected party, and must

488 specify the Official Records book and page number, instrument

489 number, or clerk’s file number for each document containing the

490 information to be released. A fee may not be charged for the

491 release of any document pursuant to such request.

492 Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public

493 necessity that the home addresses, telephone numbers, and dates

494 of birth of current or former employees and current or former

495 commissioners of the Commission on Ethics; the names, home

496 addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, photographs, and

497 places of employment of the spouses and children of current or

498 former employees and current or former commissioners of the

499 Commission on Ethics; and the names and locations of schools and

500 day care facilities attended by the children of current or

501 former employees and current or former commissioners of the

502 Commission on Ethics be made exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida

503 Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the State Constitution. The

504 responsibilities of the Commission on Ethics include the

505 investigation of allegations of violations of the Code of Ethics

506 for Public Officers and Employees and the Sunshine Amendment,

507 which are routinely received from members of the public and

508 political opponents of public officers and employees. If the

509 commission, after review of such complaints, does not take a

510 particular course of action against a public officer or

511 employee, dissatisfied complainants sometimes turn their ire

512 toward commission employees and commissioners. Although the

513 Commission on Ethics is a nonpartisan agency, many view the

514 commission’s actions as inherently political. In an era of

515 increased political violence, the safety of commission employees

516 and commissioners, as well as their family members, is critical.

517 Employees of the commission and commissioners have been subject

518 to acts of intimidation by such dissatisfied complainants,

519 including threatening e-mails and telephone calls and threats of

520 inappropriate contact at personal residences. These acts of

521 intimidation have left commission employees and commissioners in

522 fear of harm by disgruntled complainants who seek punishment of

523 public officers and employees by the commission for alleged

524 corrupt acts. The Legislature finds that the release of personal

525 identifying and location information of current or former

526 employees and commissioners of the Commission on Ethics and

527 their family members may place them at risk of physical harm and

528 harassment and that the risk of such harm and harassment

529 outweighs any public benefit that may be derived from the public

530 disclosure of such information.

531 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.