Bill Text: FL S0592 | 2016 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Public Records/Department of Financial Services/Emergency Medical Technicians or Paramedics
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2016-03-31 - Chapter No. 2016-159 [S0592 Detail]
Download: Florida-2016-S0592-Enrolled.html
ENROLLED 2016 Legislature CS for SB 592, 1st Engrossed 2016592er 1 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 certain nonsworn investigative 6 personnel of the Department of Financial Services and 7 the names and personal identifying and location 8 information of the spouses and children of such 9 personnel; providing an exemption from public records 10 requirements for certain identifying and location 11 information of current or former emergency medical 12 technicians or paramedics certified under ch. 401, 13 F.S., and the spouses and children of such emergency 14 medical technicians or paramedics, under specified 15 circumstances; providing for future review and repeal 16 of the exemptions; providing statements of public 17 necessity; providing an effective date. 18 19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 20 21 Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) of section 22 119.071, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 23 119.071 General exemptions from inspection or copying of 24 public records.— 25 (4) AGENCY PERSONNEL INFORMATION.— 26 (d)1. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “telephone 27 numbers” includes home telephone numbers, personal cellular 28 telephone numbers, personal pager telephone numbers, and 29 telephone numbers associated with personal communications 30 devices. 31 2.a.(I) The home addresses, telephone numbers, social 32 security numbers, dates of birth, and photographs of active or 33 former sworn or civilian law enforcement personnel, including 34 correctional and correctional probation officers, personnel of 35 the Department of Children and Families whose duties include the 36 investigation of abuse, neglect, exploitation, fraud, theft, or 37 other criminal activities, personnel of the Department of Health 38 whose duties are to support the investigation of child abuse or 39 neglect, and personnel of the Department of Revenue or local 40 governments whose responsibilities include revenue collection 41 and enforcement or child support enforcement; the home 42 addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers, 43 photographs, dates of birth, and places of employment of the 44 spouses and children of such personnel; and the names and 45 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the 46 children of such personnel are exempt from s. 119.07(1). 47 (II) The names of the spouses and children of active or 48 former sworn or civilian law enforcement personnel and the other 49 specified agency personnel identified in sub-sub-subparagraph 50 (I) are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the 51 State Constitution. 52 (III) Sub-sub-subparagraph (II) is subject to the Open 53 Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15, and 54 shall stand repealed on October 2, 2018, unless reviewed and 55 saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 56 (IV) The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, 57 and photographs of current or former nonsworn investigative 58 personnel of the Department of Financial Services whose duties 59 include the investigation of fraud, theft, workers’ compensation 60 coverage requirements and compliance, other related criminal 61 activities, or state regulatory requirement violations; the 62 names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and 63 places of employment of the spouses and children of such 64 personnel; and the names and locations of schools and day care 65 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt 66 from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 67 Constitution. This sub-sub-subparagraph is subject to the Open 68 Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and 69 shall stand repealed on October 2, 2021, unless reviewed and 70 saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 71 b. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, 72 and photographs of firefighters certified in compliance with s. 73 633.408; the home addresses, telephone numbers, photographs, 74 dates of birth, and places of employment of the spouses and 75 children of such firefighters; and the names and locations of 76 schools and day care facilities attended by the children of such 77 firefighters are exempt from s. 119.07(1). 78 c. The home addresses, dates of birth, and telephone 79 numbers of current or former justices of the Supreme Court, 80 district court of appeal judges, circuit court judges, and 81 county court judges; the home addresses, telephone numbers, 82 dates of birth, and places of employment of the spouses and 83 children of current or former justices and judges; and the names 84 and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the 85 children of current or former justices and judges are exempt 86 from s. 119.07(1). 87 d.(I) The home addresses, telephone numbers, social 88 security numbers, dates of birth, and photographs of current or 89 former state attorneys, assistant state attorneys, statewide 90 prosecutors, or assistant statewide prosecutors; the home 91 addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers, 92 photographs, dates of birth, and places of employment of the 93 spouses and children of current or former state attorneys, 94 assistant state attorneys, statewide prosecutors, or assistant 95 statewide prosecutors; and the names and locations of schools 96 and day care facilities attended by the children of current or 97 former state attorneys, assistant state attorneys, statewide 98 prosecutors, or assistant statewide prosecutors are exempt from 99 s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 100 (II) The names of the spouses and children of current or 101 former state attorneys, assistant state attorneys, statewide 102 prosecutors, or assistant statewide prosecutors are exempt from 103 s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 104 (III) Sub-sub-subparagraph (II) is subject to the Open 105 Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15, and 106 shall stand repealed on October 2, 2018, unless reviewed and 107 saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 108 e. The home addresses, dates of birth, and telephone 109 numbers of general magistrates, special magistrates, judges of 110 compensation claims, administrative law judges of the Division 111 of Administrative Hearings, and child support enforcement 112 hearing officers; the home addresses, telephone numbers, dates 113 of birth, and places of employment of the spouses and children 114 of general magistrates, special magistrates, judges of 115 compensation claims, administrative law judges of the Division 116 of Administrative Hearings, and child support enforcement 117 hearing officers; and the names and locations of schools and day 118 care facilities attended by the children of general magistrates, 119 special magistrates, judges of compensation claims, 120 administrative law judges of the Division of Administrative 121 Hearings, and child support enforcement hearing officers are 122 exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 123 Constitution if the general magistrate, special magistrate, 124 judge of compensation claims, administrative law judge of the 125 Division of Administrative Hearings, or child support hearing 126 officer provides a written statement that the general 127 magistrate, special magistrate, judge of compensation claims, 128 administrative law judge of the Division of Administrative 129 Hearings, or child support hearing officer has made reasonable 130 efforts to protect such information from being accessible 131 through other means available to the public. 132 f. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, 133 and photographs of current or former human resource, labor 134 relations, or employee relations directors, assistant directors, 135 managers, or assistant managers of any local government agency 136 or water management district whose duties include hiring and 137 firing employees, labor contract negotiation, administration, or 138 other personnel-related duties; the names, home addresses, 139 telephone numbers, dates of birth, and places of employment of 140 the spouses and children of such personnel; and the names and 141 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the 142 children of such personnel are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 143 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 144 g. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, 145 and photographs of current or former code enforcement officers; 146 the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, 147 and places of employment of the spouses and children of such 148 personnel; and the names and locations of schools and day care 149 facilities attended by the children of such personnel are exempt 150 from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 151 Constitution. 152 h. The home addresses, telephone numbers, places of 153 employment, dates of birth, and photographs of current or former 154 guardians ad litem, as defined in s. 39.820; the names, home 155 addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and places of 156 employment of the spouses and children of such persons; and the 157 names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended 158 by the children of such persons are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and 159 s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution, if the guardian ad 160 litem provides a written statement that the guardian ad litem 161 has made reasonable efforts to protect such information from 162 being accessible through other means available to the public. 163 i. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, 164 and photographs of current or former juvenile probation 165 officers, juvenile probation supervisors, detention 166 superintendents, assistant detention superintendents, juvenile 167 justice detention officers I and II, juvenile justice detention 168 officer supervisors, juvenile justice residential officers, 169 juvenile justice residential officer supervisors I and II, 170 juvenile justice counselors, juvenile justice counselor 171 supervisors, human services counselor administrators, senior 172 human services counselor administrators, rehabilitation 173 therapists, and social services counselors of the Department of 174 Juvenile Justice; the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, 175 dates of birth, and places of employment of spouses and children 176 of such personnel; and the names and locations of schools and 177 day care facilities attended by the children of such personnel 178 are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 179 Constitution. 180 j.(I) The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of 181 birth, and photographs of current or former public defenders, 182 assistant public defenders, criminal conflict and civil regional 183 counsel, and assistant criminal conflict and civil regional 184 counsel; the home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, 185 and places of employment of the spouses and children of such 186 defenders or counsel; and the names and locations of schools and 187 day care facilities attended by the children of such defenders 188 or counsel are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of 189 the State Constitution. 190 (II) The names of the spouses and children of the specified 191 agency personnel identified in sub-sub-subparagraph (I) are 192 exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 193 Constitution. This sub-sub-subparagraph is subject to the Open 194 Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and 195 shall stand repealed on October 2, 2019, unless reviewed and 196 saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 197 k. The home addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs 198 of current or former investigators or inspectors of the 199 Department of Business and Professional Regulation; the names, 200 home addresses, telephone numbers, and places of employment of 201 the spouses and children of such current or former investigators 202 and inspectors; and the names and locations of schools and day 203 care facilities attended by the children of such current or 204 former investigators and inspectors are exempt from s. 119.07(1) 205 and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution if the 206 investigator or inspector has made reasonable efforts to protect 207 such information from being accessible through other means 208 available to the public. This sub-subparagraph is subject to the 209 Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 210 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2017, unless reviewed and 211 saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 212 l. The home addresses and telephone numbers of county tax 213 collectors; the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, and 214 places of employment of the spouses and children of such tax 215 collectors; and the names and locations of schools and day care 216 facilities attended by the children of such tax collectors are 217 exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 218 Constitution if the county tax collector has made reasonable 219 efforts to protect such information from being accessible 220 through other means available to the public. This sub 221 subparagraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act 222 in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 223 2, 2017, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through 224 reenactment by the Legislature. 225 m. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, 226 and photographs of current or former personnel of the Department 227 of Health whose duties include, or result in, the determination 228 or adjudication of eligibility for social security disability 229 benefits, the investigation or prosecution of complaints filed 230 against health care practitioners, or the inspection of health 231 care practitioners or health care facilities licensed by the 232 Department of Health; the names, home addresses, telephone 233 numbers, dates of birth, and places of employment of the spouses 234 and children of such personnel; and the names and locations of 235 schools and day care facilities attended by the children of such 236 personnel are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of 237 the State Constitution if the personnel have made reasonable 238 efforts to protect such information from being accessible 239 through other means available to the public. This sub 240 subparagraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act 241 in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 242 2, 2019, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through 243 reenactment by the Legislature. 244 n. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, 245 and photographs of current or former impaired practitioner 246 consultants who are retained by an agency or current or former 247 employees of an impaired practitioner consultant whose duties 248 result in a determination of a person’s skill and safety to 249 practice a licensed profession; the names, home addresses, 250 telephone numbers, dates of birth, and places of employment of 251 the spouses and children of such consultants or their employees; 252 and the names and locations of schools and day care facilities 253 attended by the children of such consultants or employees are 254 exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 255 Constitution if a consultant or employee has made reasonable 256 efforts to protect such information from being accessible 257 through other means available to the public. This sub 258 subparagraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act 259 in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 260 2, 2020, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through 261 reenactment by the Legislature. 262 o. The home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, 263 and photographs of current or former emergency medical 264 technicians or paramedics certified under chapter 401; the 265 names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and 266 places of employment of the spouses and children of such 267 emergency medical technicians or paramedics; and the names and 268 locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the 269 children of such emergency medical technicians or paramedics are 270 exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 271 Constitution if the emergency medical technicians or paramedics 272 have made reasonable efforts to protect such information from 273 being accessible through other means available to the public. 274 This sub-subparagraph is subject to the Open Government Sunset 275 Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed 276 on October 2, 2021, unless reviewed and saved from repeal 277 through reenactment by the Legislature. 278 3. An agency that is the custodian of the information 279 specified in subparagraph 2. and that is not the employer of the 280 officer, employee, justice, judge, or other person specified in 281 subparagraph 2. shall maintain the exempt status of that 282 information only if the officer, employee, justice, judge, other 283 person, or employing agency of the designated employee submits a 284 written request for maintenance of the exemption to the 285 custodial agency. 286 4. The exemptions in this paragraph apply to information 287 held by an agency before, on, or after the effective date of the 288 exemption. 289 5. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this 290 paragraph, this paragraph is subject to the Open Government 291 Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15, and shall stand 292 repealed on October 2, 2017, unless reviewed and saved from 293 repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 294 Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public 295 necessity to exempt from public records requirements the home 296 addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and photographs of 297 current or former nonsworn investigative personnel of the 298 Department of Financial Services whose duties include the 299 investigation of fraud, theft, workers’ compensation coverage 300 requirements and compliance, other related criminal activities, 301 or state regulatory requirement violations; the names, home 302 addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and places of 303 employment of the spouses and children of such personnel; and 304 the names and locations of schools and day care facilities 305 attended by the children of such personnel. The efforts of such 306 personnel can lead to arrests and prosecutions for crimes up to 307 and including first degree felony violations and can also result 308 in the loss of commerce and property, the assessment of monetary 309 fines, or the suspension or loss of professional licenses. The 310 department has documented numerous instances of personnel who 311 have been threatened and who have feared repercussions as a 312 result of carrying out their duties. These threats have included 313 weapons being brandished, verbal threats made to harm them or 314 their family members, harassment, and intimidation. The 315 Legislature finds that the release of such personal identifying 316 and location information might place these nonsworn 317 investigative personnel of the department and their family 318 members in danger of physical and emotional harm from 319 disgruntled individuals who have contentious reactions to 320 actions taken by such personnel, or whose business or 321 professional practices have come under the scrutiny of such 322 personnel. The Legislature further finds that the harm that may 323 result from the release of such personal identifying and 324 location information outweighs any public benefit that may be 325 derived from the disclosure of the information. 326 Section 3. The Legislature finds that it is a public 327 necessity that the home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of 328 birth, and photographs of current or former emergency medical 329 technicians or paramedics certified under chapter 401, Florida 330 Statutes; that the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, and 331 places of employment of the spouses and children of such 332 emergency medical technicians or paramedics; and that the names 333 and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the 334 children of such emergency medical technicians or paramedics be 335 exempt from public records requirements if the emergency medical 336 technicians or paramedics have made reasonable efforts to 337 protect such information from being accessible through other 338 means available to the public. Emergency medical technicians or 339 paramedics are public safety officers whose duties as first 340 responders to accidents and life-threatening events often place 341 them in traumatic circumstances in which loss of life and severe 342 bodily injuries have occurred. They often deal with violent, 343 angry, or mentally unstable individuals. As a result, the 344 Legislature finds that release of identifying and location 345 information of emergency medical technicians or paramedics 346 certified under chapter 401, Florida Statutes, or the spouses 347 and children of such emergency medical technicians or 348 paramedics, could place them in danger of being physically or 349 emotionally harmed or stalked by a person who has a hostile 350 reaction to his or her encounter with such emergency medical 351 technicians or paramedics. The Legislature further finds that 352 the harm that may result from the release of such identifying 353 and location information outweighs any public benefit that may 354 be derived from the disclosure of the information. 355 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.