The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Rules
BILL: CS/SB 216
INTRODUCER: Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee and Senator Burgess
SUBJECT: Public Records/Current and Former County and City Attorneys
DATE: April 18, 2023 REVISED:
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Hunter Ryon CA Favorable
2. Limones-Borja McVaney GO Fav/CS
3. Hunter Twogood RC Favorable
Please see Section IX. for Additional Information:
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE - Substantial Changes
I. Summary:
CS/SB 216 exempts from public records copying and inspection requirements certain identifying
information of current county attorneys, deputy county attorneys, assistant county attorneys, city
attorneys, deputy city attorneys, and assistant city attorneys. Identifying information relating to
their spouses and children is likewise exempt. The specific information made exempt from
public records disclosure requirements includes:
Home addresses, telephone numbers, places of employment, and dates of birth;
Names, home addresses, telephone numbers, places of employment, and dates of birth of the
spouses and children; and
Names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the children.
The exemption does not apply to a current county attorney, deputy county attorney, assistant
county attorney, city attorney, deputy city attorney, or assistant city attorney who qualifies as a
candidate for election to public office.
A statement of public necessity is included in the bill as required by the State Constitution.
This bill is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act and stands repealed on
October 2, 2024, consistent with the other agency personnel exemptions in s. 119.071(4)(d), F.S.,
unless reviewed and saved from the repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.
BILL: CS/SB 216 Page 2
Because this bill creates a public records exemption, it will require a two-thirds vote of each
house in order to pass.
The bill is not expected to impact state and local government revenues and expenditures.
The bill is effective July 1, 2023.
II. Present Situation:
Access to Public Records - Generally
The state constitution provides that the public has the right to inspect or copy records made or
received in connection with official governmental business.1 The right to inspect or copy applies
to the official business of any public body, officer, or employee of the state, including all three
branches of state government, local governmental entities, and any person acting on behalf of the
government.2
Additional requirements and exemptions related to public records are found in various statutes
and rules, depending on the branch of government involved. For instance, s. 11.0431, F.S.,
provides public access requirements for legislative records. Relevant exemptions are codified in
s. 11.0431(2)-(3), F.S., and adopted in the rules of each house of the Legislature.3 Florida Rule of
Judicial Administration 2.420 governs public access to judicial branch records.4 Lastly,
chapter 119, F.S., known as the Public Records Act, provides requirements for public records
held by executive agencies.
Executive Agency Records – The Public Records Act
The Public Records Act provides that all state, county and municipal records are open for
personal inspection and copying by any person, and that providing access to public records is a
duty of each agency.5
Section 119.011(12), F.S., defines “public records” to include:
[a] ll documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films,
sound recordings, data processing software, or other material, regardless of
the physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission, made or
received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connections with the transaction
of official business by any agency.
1
FLA. CONST. art. I, s. 24(a).
2
Id.
3
See Rule 1.48, Rules and Manual of the Florida Senate, (2020-2022) and Rule 14.1, Rules of the Florida House of
Representatives, Edition 2, (2020-2022).
4
State v. Wooten, 260 So. 3d 1060 (Fla. 4th DCA 2018).
5
Section 119.01(1), F.S. Section 119.011(2), F.S., defines “agency” as “any state, county, district, authority, or municipal
officer, department, division, board, bureau, commission, or other separate unit of government created or established by law
including, for the purposes of this chapter, the Commission on Ethics, the Public Service Commission, and the Office of
Public Counsel, and any other public or private agency, person, partnership, corporation, or business entity acting on behalf
of any public agency.”
BILL: CS/SB 216 Page 3
The Florida Supreme Court has interpreted this definition to encompass all materials made or
received by an agency in connection with official business that are used to “perpetuate,
communicate, or formalize knowledge of some type.”6
The Florida Statutes specify conditions under which public access to public records must be
provided. The Public Records Act guarantees every person’s right to inspect and copy any public
record at any reasonable time, under reasonable conditions, and under supervision by the
custodian of the public record.7 A violation of the Public Records Act may result in civil or
criminal liability.8
The Legislature may exempt public records from public access requirements by passing a
general law by a two-thirds vote of both the House and the Senate.9 The exemption must state
with specificity the public necessity justifying the exemption and must be no broader than
necessary to accomplish the stated purpose of the exemption.10
General exemptions from the public records requirements are contained in the Public Records
Act.11 Specific exemptions often are placed in the substantive statutes relating to a particular
agency or program.12
When creating a public records exemption, the Legislature may provide that a record is “exempt”
or “confidential and exempt.” There is a difference between records the Legislature has
determined to be exempt from the Public Records Act and those which the Legislature has
determined to be exempt from the Public Records Act and confidential.13 Records designated as
“confidential and exempt” are not subject to inspection by the public and may only be released
under the circumstances defined by statute.14 Records designated as “exempt” may be released at
the discretion of the records custodian under certain circumstances.15
6
Shevin v. Byron, Harless, Schaffer, Reid and Assoc., Inc., 379 So. 2d 633, 640 (Fla. 1980).
7
Section 119.07(1)(a), F.S.
8
Section 119.10, F.S. Public records laws are found throughout the Florida Statutes, as are the penalties for violating those
laws.
9
FLA. CONST. art. I, s. 24(c).
10
Id. See, e.g., Halifax Hosp. Medical Center v. News-Journal Corp., 724 So. 2d 567 (Fla. 1999) (holding that a public
meetings exemption was unconstitutional because the statement of public necessity did not define important terms and did
not justify the breadth of the exemption); Baker County Press, Inc. v. Baker County Medical Services, Inc., 870 So. 2d 189
(Fla. 1st DCA 2004) (holding that a statutory provision written to bring another party within an existing public records
exemption is unconstitutional without a public necessity statement).
11
See, e.g., s. 119.071(1)(a), F.S. (exempting from public disclosure examination questions and answer sheets of
examinations administered by a governmental agency for the purpose of licensure).
12
See, e.g., s. 213.053(2)(a), F.S. (exempting from public disclosure information contained in tax returns received by the
Department of Revenue).
13
WFTV, Inc. v. The Sch. Bd. of Seminole County, 874 So. 2d 48, 53 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004).
14
Id.
15
Williams v. City of Minneola, 575 So. 2d 683 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991).
BILL: CS/SB 216 Page 4
Open Government Sunset Review Act
The provisions of s. 119.15, F.S., known as the Open Government Sunset Review Act16 (the
Act), prescribe a legislative review process for newly created or substantially amended 17 public
records or open meetings exemptions, with specified exceptions.18 The Act requires the repeal of
such exemption on October 2nd of the fifth year after creation or substantial amendment, unless
the Legislature reenacts the exemption.19
The Act provides that a public records or open meetings exemption may be created or
maintained only if it serves an identifiable public purpose and is no broader than is necessary.20
An exemption serves an identifiable purpose if the Legislature finds that the purpose of the
exemption outweighs open government policy and cannot be accomplished without the
exemption and it meets one of the following purposes:
It allows the state or its political subdivisions to effectively and efficiently administer a
governmental program, and administration would be significantly impaired without the
exemption;21
It protects sensitive, personal information, the release of which would be defamatory, cause
unwarranted damage to the good name or reputation of the individual, or would jeopardize
the individual’s safety. If this public purpose is cited as the basis of an exemption, however;
only personal identifying information is exempt;22 or
It protects information of a confidential nature concerning entities, such as trade or business
secrets.23
The Act also requires specified questions to be considered during the review process.24 In
examining an exemption, the Act directs the Legislature to question the purpose and necessity of
reenacting the exemption.
If the exemption is continued and expanded, then a public necessity statement and a two-thirds
vote for passage are required.25 If the exemption is continued without substantive changes or if
the exemption is continued and narrowed, then a public necessity statement and a two-thirds vote
16
Section 119.15, F.S.
17
An exemption is considered to be substantially amended if it is expanded to include more records or information or to
include meetings as well as records. Section 119.15(4)(b), F.S.
18
Section 119.15(2)(a) and (b), F.S., provides that exemptions required by federal law or applicable solely to the Legislature
or the State Court System are not subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act.
19
Section 119.15(3), F.S.
20
Section 119.15(6)(b), F.S.
21
Section 119.15(6)(b)1., F.S.
22
Section 119.15(6)(b)2., F.S.
23
Section 119.15(6)(b)3., F.S.
24
Section 119.15(6)(a), F.S. The specified questions are:
What specific records or meetings are affected by the exemption?
Whom does the exemption uniquely affect, as opposed to the general public?
What is the identifiable public purpose or goal of the exemption?
Can the information contained in the records or discussed in the meeting be readily obtained by alternative means? If so,
how?
Is the record or meeting protected by another exemption?
Are there multiple exemptions for the same type of record or meeting that it would be appropriate to merge?
25
See generally s. 119.15, F.S.
BILL: CS/SB 216 Page 5
for passage are not required. If the Legislature allows an exemption to expire, the previously
exempt records will remain exempt unless otherwise provided by law.26
Public Records Exemptions for Specified Personnel and their Families
Provisions in s. 119.071(4)(d), F.S., exempt from public disclosure certain personal identification
and location information of specified state and local government agency personnel and their
spouses and children. Personnel covered by these exemptions include:
Active or former sworn or civilian law enforcement personnel employed by a law
enforcement agency;27
Certain current or former nonsworn investigative personnel of the Department of Financial
Services;28
Certain current or former nonsworn investigative personnel of the Office of Financial
Regulation’s Bureau of Financial Investigations;29
Current or former certified firefighters;30
Current or former justices of the Supreme Court, district court of appeal judges, circuit court
judges, and county court judges;31
Current or former state attorneys, assistant state attorneys, statewide prosecutors, and
assistant statewide prosecutors;32
Current or former code enforcement officers;33
Current or former guardians ad litem;34
Current or former public defenders, assistant public defenders, criminal conflict and civil
regional counsel, and assistant criminal conflict and civil regional counsel;35
Current or former investigators or inspectors of the Department of Business and Professional
Regulation;36
County tax collectors;37
Current or former certified emergency medical technicians and paramedics; 38
Current or former directors, managers, supervisors, nurses, and clinical employees of an
addiction treatment facility;39
Current or former directors, managers, supervisors, and clinical employees of certain child
advocacy centers;40 and
26
Section 119.15(7), F.S.
27
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.a., F.S.
28
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.b., F.S.
29
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.c., F.S.
30
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.d., F.S.
31
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.e., F.S.
32
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.f., F.S.
33
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.i., F.S.
34
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.j., F.S.
35
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.l., F.S.
36
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.m., F.S.
37
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.n., F.S.
38
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.q., F.S.
39
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.s., F.S.
40
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.t., F.S.
BILL: CS/SB 216 Page 6
Current or former staff of domestic violence centers, including domestic violence
advocates.41
The specified exempt information for each profession provided in s. 119.071(4)(d), F.S., varies
among the professions. Generally, the home addresses,42 telephone numbers,43 dates of birth of
the specified personnel are exempt, as are the identifying information of their spouse and
children, including place of employment, school and/or daycare facility. For many of the
professions, photographs of the employee are exempt,44 and in some instances, the photographs
of the employee’s spouse and children are exempt as well.45
The employing agency or the employee must assert the right to the exemption by submitting a
written and notarized request to each non-employer agency that holds the employee’s
information.46 Further, all of these exemptions have retroactive application, applying to
information held by an agency before, on, or after the effective date of the exemption.47
The exemptions for specified agency personnel in s. 119.071(4)(d), F.S., are subject to the Open
Government Sunset Review Act and stand repealed on October 2, 2024, unless reviewed and
saved from repeal by the Legislature.
Position of County Attorney and City Attorney
The term “county attorney” is not defined by statute, but is referenced in eight statutes as a local
government employee expected to assist in the enforcement of various laws.48 Similarly, the term
“city attorney” is not defined by statute, but is referenced in four statutes, again as a local
government employee expected to assist in the enforcement of various laws.49
The duties of a county attorney or city attorney vary and are set by the governing board of the
local government. The duties of an assistant county attorney or assistant city attorney are set by
their respective county attorney or city attorney. As an example, one county defines the duties of
its county attorney as follows:
Employing and managing all personnel of the County Attorney’s Office, establishing the
organizational framework of the office, and supervising the conduct of all employees of the
Office of the County Attorney.
41
Section 119.071(4)(d)2.u., F.S.
42
Section 119.071(4)(