This bill amends section 943.0579 of the Florida Statutes to establish the effect of expungement orders for criminal history records related to qualifying marijuana offenses. It introduces a new subsection (5) that mandates the physical destruction or obliteration of expunged records by criminal justice agencies, while allowing the Department of Law Enforcement to retain such records as confidential and exempt from public records requirements. The bill also outlines specific circumstances under which individuals with expunged records may lawfully deny or fail to acknowledge their arrests, as well as the penalties for unauthorized disclosure of information regarding these records.

Additionally, the bill includes a statement of public necessity, emphasizing the need for confidentiality regarding criminal history records for low-level marijuana offenses to prevent long-term job and housing challenges for affected individuals. It highlights the disproportionate enforcement of marijuana laws against minority groups and the importance of redirecting law enforcement resources to more serious crimes. The bill is subject to future legislative review and will be repealed on October 2, 2030, unless reenacted. The act will take effect concurrently with related legislation, SB 1026, if passed in the same session.