HB 997 full text · Session Watch

1 A bill to be entitled

2 An act relating to public records; amending s.

3 447.205, F.S.; exempting from public records

4 requirements written communications developed in

5 preparation for, or preliminary to, the issuance of

6 any order by the Public Employees Relations Commission

7 or its designees; providing for future legislative

8 review and repeal of the exemption; providing a

9 statement of public necessity; amending s. 447.308,

10 F.S.; exempting from public records requirements

11 showing of interest statements signed by public

12 employees and filed with the Public Employees

13 Relations Commission; providing an exception;

14 providing for future legislative review and repeal of

15 the exemption; providing a statement of public

16 necessity; amending s. 119.071, F.S.; exempting from

17 public records requirements the personal identifying

18 and location information of the chair, commissioners,

19 and hearing officers of the Public Employees Relations

20 Commission and the personal identifying and location

21 information of spouses and children of such personnel;

22 providing for future legislative review and repeal of

23 the exemption; providing a statement of public

24 necessity; providing a contingent effective date.

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

28 Section 1. Subsection (10) of section 447.205, Florida

29 Statutes, is amended to read:

30 447.205 Public Employees Relations Commission.—

31 (10) The deliberations of the commission ~~in any proceeding~~

32 ~~before it~~ are closed and exempt from ~~the provisions of~~ s.

33 286.011. However, any hearing held or oral argument heard by the

34 commission pursuant to chapter 120 or this chapter must ~~shall~~ be

35 open to the public. All draft orders and related written

36 communications that are developed in preparation for, or

37 preliminary to, the issuance of any order by the commission or

38 its designees ~~a final written order~~ are confidential and exempt

39 from ~~the provisions of~~ s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the

40 State Constitution.

41 Section 2. The amendment made by this act to s.

42 447.205(10), Florida Statutes, is subject to the Open Government

43 Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15, Florida

44 Statutes, and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2031, unless

45 reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the

46 Legislature and the text of that subsection shall revert to that

47 in existence on June 30, 2026, except that any amendments to

48 such text enacted other than by this act shall be preserved and

49 continue to operate to the extent that such amendments are not

50 dependent upon the amendment to the text which expires pursuant

51 to this section.

52 Section 3. The Legislature finds that it is a public

53 necessity that draft orders and related written communications

54 that are developed in preparation for, or preliminary to, the

55 issuance of any order by the Public Employees Relations

56 Commission or its designees be made confidential and exempt from

57 s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the

58 State Constitution. The Public Employees Relations Commission,

59 as a quasi-judicial agency, speaks through its written orders

60 based on the law and facts. The commission and its hearing

61 officers rely on the confidentiality of draft orders and written

62 communications related to these drafts before they become final

63 and are released to the public. The existing provision in s.

64 447.205(10), Florida Statutes, addresses this confidentiality

65 and recognizes its importance to the proper functioning of the

66 commission. However, it was adopted in 1977, with the only

67 substantive amendment being made in 1991. To avoid the existing

68 provision from being inadvertently read so as to allow public

69 access to draft orders or commission deliberations, including

70 preliminary work prepared by commission hearing officers, the

71 Legislature finds that it is a public necessity that the

72 language of the provision providing for confidentiality and

73 exemption of commission deliberations and draft orders be

74 clarified to reflect updates in technology, current practices of

75 the commission related to the use of hearing officers, and

76 modern methods of communication. The confidentiality and

77 exemption of commission deliberations and draft orders are

78 essential to the operation of the commission. Likewise, the

79 confidentiality and exemption of written communications related

80 to draft orders are essential to the operation of the commission

81 given updates in technology, commission practice of using

82 hearing officers as designees to prepare draft orders and assist

83 in preparing final orders, and modern methods of communication.

84 The Legislature further finds that the harm that may result from

85 the release of written communications related to draft orders,

86 in light of current technology, practices, and methods of

87 communication, outweighs any public benefit that may be derived

88 from the disclosure of such written communications.

89 Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 447.308, Florida Statutes, as amended by HB 995, 2026 Regular Session, is amended

91 to read:

92 447.308 Decertification of certification of employee

93 organizations.—

94 (1) A public employee or group of public employees that no

95 longer desires to be represented by a bargaining agent may file

96 with the commission a petition to decertify the bargaining

97 agent. The petition must be accompanied by a showing of interest

98 from at least 30 percent of the public employees in the

99 bargaining unit. The showing of interest statements must be

100 signed and dated by the public employees not more than 12 months

101 before the filing of the petition. The showing of interest

102 signed by an employee is confidential and exempt from s.

103 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution, except

104 that any public employee, public employer, or employee

105 organization having sufficient reason to believe that the

106 showing of interest was obtained by collusion, coercion,

107 intimidation, or misrepresentation or is otherwise invalid shall

108 be given a reasonable opportunity to verify and challenge the

109 showing of interest.

110 Section 5. The amendment made by this act to s.

111 447.308(1), Florida Statutes, is subject to the Open Government

112 Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15, Florida

113 Statutes, and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2031, unless

114 reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the

115 Legislature, and the text of that subsection shall revert to

116 that in existence on June 30, 2026, except that any amendments

117 to such text enacted other than by this act shall be preserved

118 and continue to operate to the extent that such amendments are

119 not dependent upon the amendment to the text which expires

120 pursuant to this section.

121 Section 6. The Legislature finds that it is a public

122 necessity that showing of interest statements signed by public

123 employees indicating their desire to no longer be represented by

124 their bargaining agent be made exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida

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

126 Showing of interest statements signed by public employees

127 indicating their desire to be represented by a bargaining agent

128 are already exempt and confidential pursuant to s. 447.307,

129 Florida Statutes, in order avoid the practical effect of

130 chilling the employees' exercise of the right to form and join a

131 union. Similarly, showing of interest statements seeking to

132 decertify a union must be kept confidential in order to avoid

133 the practical effect of chilling the employees' exercise of the

134 right to no longer be represented by a union. The Legislature

135 finds that the harm that may result from the release of this

136 showing of interest information outweighs any public benefit

137 that may be derived from disclosure of the information.

138 Section 7. Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) of section

139 119.071, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

140 119.071 General exemptions from inspection or copying of

141 public records.—

142 (4) AGENCY PERSONNEL INFORMATION.—

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

144 a. "Home addresses" means the dwelling location at which

145 an individual resides and includes the physical address, mailing

146 address, street address, parcel identification number, plot

147 identification number, legal property description, neighborhood

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

149 property information that may reveal the home address.

150 b. "Judicial assistant" means a court employee assigned to

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

152 c. "Telephone numbers" includes home telephone numbers,

153 personal cellular telephone numbers, personal pager telephone

154 numbers, and telephone numbers associated with personal

155 communications devices.

156 2.a. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of

157 birth, and photographs of active or former sworn law enforcement

158 personnel or of active or former civilian personnel employed by

159 a law enforcement agency, including correctional and

160 correctional probation officers, personnel of the Department of

161 Children and Families whose duties include the investigation of

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

163 activities, personnel of the Department of Health whose duties

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

165 personnel of the Department of Revenue or local governments

166 whose responsibilities include revenue collection and

167 enforcement or child support enforcement; the names, home

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

169 places of employment of the spouses and children of such

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

171 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt

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

173 Constitution.

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

175 and photographs of current or former nonsworn investigative

176 personnel of the Department of Financial Services whose duties

177 include the investigation of fraud, theft, workers' compensation

178 coverage requirements and compliance, other related criminal

179 activities, or state regulatory requirement violations; the

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

181 places of employment of the spouses and children of such

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

183 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt

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

185 Constitution.

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

187 and photographs of current or former nonsworn investigative

188 personnel of the Office of Financial Regulation's Bureau of

189 Financial Investigations whose duties include the investigation

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

191 regulatory requirement violations; the names, home addresses,

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

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

194 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

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

196 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

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

198 and photographs of current or former firefighters certified in

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

210 employment of the spouses and children of current or former

211 justices and judges and current judicial assistants; and the

212 names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended

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

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

215 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. This sub-subparagraph

216 is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in

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

218 2028, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment

219 by the Legislature.

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

221 and photographs of current or former state attorneys, assistant

222 state attorneys, statewide prosecutors, or assistant statewide

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

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

225 spouses and children of current or former state attorneys,

226 assistant state attorneys, statewide prosecutors, or assistant

227 statewide prosecutors; and the names and locations of schools

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

229 former state attorneys, assistant state attorneys, statewide

230 prosecutors, or assistant statewide prosecutors are exempt from

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

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

233 numbers of general magistrates, special magistrates, judges of

234 compensation claims, administrative law judges of the Division

235 of Administrative Hearings, ~~and~~ child support enforcement

236 hearing officers, and the chair, commissioners, and hearing

237 officers of the Public Employees Relations Commission; the

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

239 places of employment of the spouses and children of general

240 magistrates, special magistrates, judges of compensation claims,

241 administrative law judges of the Division of Administrative

242 Hearings, ~~and~~ child support enforcement hearing officers, and

243 the chair, commissioners, and hearing officers of the Public

244 Employees Relations Commission; and the names and locations of

245 schools and day care facilities attended by the children of

246 general magistrates, special magistrates, judges of compensation

247 claims, administrative law judges of the Division of

248 Administrative Hearings, ~~and~~ child support enforcement hearing

249 officers, and the chair, commissioners, and hearing officers of

250 the Public Employees Relations Commission are exempt from s.

251 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

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

253 and photographs of current or former human resource, labor

254 relations, or employee relations directors, assistant directors,

255 managers, or assistant managers of any local government agency

256 or water management district whose duties include hiring and

257 firing employees, labor contract negotiation, administration, or

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

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

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

261 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

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

263 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

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

265 and photographs of current or former code enforcement officers;

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

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

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

269 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt

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

271 Constitution.

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

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

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

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

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

277 names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended

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

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

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

281 and photographs of current or former juvenile probation

282 officers, juvenile probation supervisors, detention

283 superintendents, assistant detention superintendents, juvenile

284 justice detention officers I and II, juvenile justice detention

285 officer supervisors, juvenile justice residential officers,

286 juvenile justice residential officer supervisors I and II,

287 juvenile justice counselors, juvenile justice counselor

288 supervisors, human services counselor administrators, senior

289 human services counselor administrators, rehabilitation

290 therapists, and social services counselors of the Department of

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

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

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

294 day care facilities attended by the children of such personnel

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

296 Constitution.

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

298 and photographs of current or former public defenders, assistant

299 public defenders, criminal conflict and civil regional counsel,

300 and assistant criminal conflict and civil regional counsel; the

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

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

303 former public defenders, assistant public defenders, criminal

304 conflict and civil regional counsel, and assistant criminal

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

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

307 current or former public defenders, assistant public defenders,

308 criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, and assistant

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

310 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

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

312 and photographs of current or former investigators or inspectors

313 of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation; the

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

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

316 or former investigators and inspectors; and the names and

317 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

318 children of such current or former investigators and inspectors

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

320 Constitution.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

329 and photographs of current or former personnel of the Department

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

331 or adjudication of eligibility for social security disability

332 benefits, the investigation or prosecution of complaints filed

333 against health care practitioners, or the inspection of health

334 care practitioners or health care facilities licensed by the

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

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

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

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

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

340 the State Constitution.

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

342 and photographs of current or former impaired practitioner

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

344 employees of an impaired practitioner consultant whose duties

345 result in a determination of a person's skill and safety to

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

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

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

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

350 attended by the children of such consultants or employees are

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

352 Constitution.

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

354 and photographs of current or former emergency medical

355 technicians or paramedics certified under chapter 401; the

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

357 places of employment of the spouses and children of such

358 emergency medical technicians or paramedics; and the names and

359 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

360 children of such emergency medical technicians or paramedics are

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

362 Constitution.

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

364 and photographs of current or former personnel employed in an

365 agency's office of inspector general or internal audit

366 department whose duties include auditing or investigating waste,

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

368 could lead to criminal prosecution or administrative discipline;

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

370 and places of employment of spouses and children of such

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

372 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt

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

374 Constitution.

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

376 and photographs of current or former directors, managers,

377 supervisors, nurses, and clinical employees of an addiction

378 treatment facility; the home addresses, telephone numbers,

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

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

381 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the

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

383 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. For purposes of this

384 sub-subparagraph, the term "addiction treatment facility" means

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

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

387 intervention, or clinical treatment, including any licensed

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

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

390 and photographs of current or former directors, managers,

391 supervisors, and clinical employees of a child advocacy center

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

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

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

395 include supporting the investigation of child abuse or sexual

396 abuse, child abandonment, child neglect, and child exploitation

397 or to provide services as part of a multidisciplinary case

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

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

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

401 names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended

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

403 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

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

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

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

407 90.5036(1)(b), of domestic violence centers certified by the

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

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

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

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

412 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt

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

414 Constitution.

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

416 and photographs of current or former inspectors or investigators

417 of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; the

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

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

420 former inspectors or investigators; and the names and locations

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

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

423 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. This

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

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

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

427 reenactment by the Legislature.

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

429 and photographs of current county attorneys, assistant county

430 attorneys, deputy county attorneys, city attorneys, assistant

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

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

433 places of employment of the spouses and children of current

434 county attorneys, assistant county attorneys, deputy county

435 attorneys, city attorneys, assistant city attorneys, and deputy

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

437 care facilities attended by the children of current county

438 attorneys, assistant county attorneys, deputy county attorneys,

439 city attorneys, assistant city attorneys, and deputy city

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

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

442 county attorney, assistant county attorney, deputy county

443 attorney, city attorney, assistant city attorney, or deputy city

444 attorney who qualifies as a candidate for election to public

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

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

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

448 repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

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

450 and photographs of current or former commissioners of the

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

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

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

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

455 care facilities attended by the children of such current or

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

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

458 subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance

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

460 unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the

461 Legislature.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

469 names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended

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

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

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

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

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

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

476 saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

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

479 (A) "Congressional member" means a person who is elected

480 to serve as a member of the United States House of

481 Representatives or is elected or appointed to serve as a member

482 of the United States Senate.

483 (B) "Partial home address" means the dwelling location at

484 which an individual resides and includes the physical address,

485 mailing address, street address, parcel identification number,

486 plot identification number, legal property description,

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

488 descriptive property information that may reveal the partial

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

490 (C) "Public officer" means a person who holds one of the

491 following offices: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Chief

492 Financial Officer, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner,

493 state representative, state senator, property appraiser,

494 supervisor of elections, school superintendent, school board

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

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

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

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

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

500 (B) The telephone numbers of a current congressional

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

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

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

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

505 care facility attended by the minor child.

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

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

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

509 saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

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

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

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

513 subparagraph 2. must maintain the exempt status of that

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

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

516 written and notarized request for maintenance of the exemption

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

518 statutory basis for the individual's exemption request and

519 confirm the individual's status as a party eligible for exempt

520 status.

521 b. An agency that is the custodian of information

522 specified in sub-subparagraph 2.z. and that is not the employer

523 of the congressional member, public officer, or other person

524 specified in sub-subparagraph 2.z. must maintain the exempt

525 status of that information only if an individual requests the

526 maintenance of an exemption pursuant to sub-subparagraph 2.z. on

527 the basis of eligibility as a current congressional member or

528 public officer and his or her spouse or child submits, as part

529 of the written and notarized request required by sub-

530 subparagraph a., the date of the congressional member's or

531 public officer's election or appointment to public office, the

532 date on which that office is next subject to election, and, if

533 applicable, the date on which the current congressional member's

534 or public officer's minor child reaches the age of majority. The

535 custodian must maintain an exemption granted pursuant to sub-

536 subparagraph 2.z. until the qualifying conditions for the

537 exemption no longer apply to the person subject to the

538 exemption.

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

540 192.001(3), or a county tax collector, as defined in s.

541 192.001(4), who receives a written and notarized request for

542 maintenance of the exemption pursuant to subparagraph 3. must

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

544 and the instrument number or Official Records book and page

545 number identifying the property with the exempt status from all

546 publicly available records maintained by the property appraiser

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

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

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

550 2021. A county property appraiser or county tax collector may

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

552 information identifying real property within the agency's

553 records so long as a name or personal information otherwise

554 exempt from inspection and copying pursuant to this section is

555 not associated with the property or otherwise displayed in the

556 public records of the agency.

557 b. Any information restricted from public display,

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

559 provided to the individual whose information was removed.

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

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

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

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

564 specify the information to be released and the party authorized

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

566 the custodial agency must release the specified information to

567 the party authorized to receive such information.

568 6. The exemptions in this paragraph apply to information

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

570 exemption.

571 7. Information made exempt under this paragraph may be

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

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

574 624.10; a title insurance agent or title insurance agency as

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

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

577 with The Florida Bar.

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

579 Official Records is maintained only during the period when a

580 protected party resides at the dwelling location. Upon

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

582 real property no longer constitutes a protected party's home

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

584 must submit a written request to release the removed information

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

586 removed information must be notarized, must confirm that a

587 protected party's request for release is pursuant to a

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

589 Official Records book and page, instrument number, or clerk's

590 file number for each document containing the information to be

591 released.

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

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

594 can request the county recorder to release a protected

595 decedent's removed information unless there is a related request

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

597 decedent's information or unless such removal is otherwise

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

599 release the removed information upon the death of a protected

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

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

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

603 specify the Official Records book and page number, instrument

604 number, or clerk's file number for each document containing the

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

606 release of any document pursuant to such request.

607 Section 8. The amendment made by this act to s.

608 119.071(4)(d)2.g., Florida Statutes, is subject to the Open

609 Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15,

610 Florida Statutes, and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2031,

611 unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the

612 Legislature and the text of that sub-subparagraph shall revert

613 to that in existence on June 30, 2026, except that any

614 amendments to such text enacted other than by this act shall be

615 preserved and continue to operate to the extent that such

616 amendments are not dependent upon the amendment to the text

617 which expires pursuant to this section.

618 Section 9. The Legislature finds that it is a public

619 necessity that the home addresses, dates of birth, and telephone

620 numbers of the chair, commissioners, and hearing officers of the

621 Public Employees Relations Commission; the names, home

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

623 employment of the spouses and children of such personnel; and

624 the names and locations of schools and day care facilities

625 attended by the children of such personnel be made exempt from

626 s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the

627 State Constitution. Such personnel and their families are at a

628 heightened risk of physical and emotional harm from disgruntled

629 individuals who have contentious reactions to actions taken by

630 the commission. In addition, such personnel may be subject to

631 threats or acts of revenge because of the duties they perform.

632 The spouses and children of such personnel are also endangered

633 by individuals who seek to intimidate or harm such personnel.

634 The Legislature finds that the harm that may result from the

635 release of such personal identifying and location information

636 outweighs any public benefit that may be derived from disclosure

637 of the information.

638 Section 10. This act shall take effect on the same date

639 that HB 995 or similar legislation takes effect, if such

640 legislation is adopted in the same legislative session or an

641 extension thereof and becomes a law.