This bill amends Section 16.716 of the Florida Statutes, which pertains to public records and meeting exemptions for the Florida Gaming Control Commission. The bill removes the scheduled repeal of the exemption, ensuring that any information deemed exempt or confidential and exempt will continue to retain its status indefinitely. The commission is allowed to release such information to other agencies or governmental entities for official duties, provided that the receiving entity maintains the confidentiality of the information.

Additionally, the bill clarifies the procedures for closed meetings when discussing exempt information. It specifies that the chair of the commission must declare the necessity for a closed session in writing, and all discussions during the closed session must be recorded. Only authorized personnel may attend these closed portions, and the bill emphasizes that the closure of meetings should be limited to uphold the state's general policy favoring public meetings. The legal language has been updated to replace "paragraph" with "subsection" in several instances to reflect these changes.

Statutes affected:
S 7008 Filed: 16.716