No. CS/HB 509
Filed under Environment & Water.
Code Inspector Body Cameras; Requires governmental entity that permits its code inspectors to wear body cameras to establish certain policies & procedures; requires such governmental entity to ensure that certain training occurs, to retain certain data in accordance with public records laws, & to perform periodic review of actual body camera practices; provides that certain provisions relating to interception of wire, electronic, & oral communications do not apply to body camera recordings made by code inspectors.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDFlorida's wiretapping law, which normally requires consent to record private conversations, does not apply to body camera recordings made by code inspectors. A resident or business owner talking to an inspector can be recorded without their consent.
Any local government that lets code inspectors wear body cameras must write policies on their use, and can limit which inspectors wear them or when, but must always let an inspector record any encounter with the public during their duties.
That government must train everyone who handles the footage, keep recordings under the state's standard public-records retention rules, and periodically check whether actual camera use matches its written policy.
AIFlorida's law governing interception of wire, electronic, and oral communications does not apply to body camera recordings made by code inspectors who choose to use them, removing a consent-based protection that would otherwise cover recorded conversations.
AIWhatever limits a local policy places on body camera use, it cannot stop a code inspector from recording an encounter with a member of the public that happens while the inspector is performing inspection duties.
AIA governmental entity that allows code inspectors to wear body cameras must adopt written policies and procedures covering proper use, maintenance, storage, retention, and release of the recorded data before those cameras are deployed.
AIPersonnel who wear, use, maintain, store, or release body camera data must be trained on the policy, footage must be kept under the state's standard public-records retention law, and the entity must periodically check whether actual practice matches its written policy.