Lawmakers’ addresses could soon be exempted from public records, if Gov. DeSantis signs off 

A bill exempting the home addresses of congressional, state and local elected officials from public records requirements is now a signature away from becoming law.

The Legislature passed several measures this Session geared toward protecting personal identifying information, including those of public officials and their families.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will receive a bill (SB 268) sponsored by Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones to exempt officials from public records requirements. Their children and spouses will also be protected.

Critics were concerned the move would weaken Florida’s Sunshine Law. But supporters justified the privacy protections, emphasizing the need to safeguard public officials and their families. The bill says harassment or threats could discourage people from becoming involved in public office.

The measure comes as “swatting,” the act of calling in a criminal complaint or tip to law enforcement that results in a large police response, is becoming more and more prevalent among elected officials and other high profile individuals. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s home, for example, was swatted in 2023.

Overall, dozens of bills related to public records exemptions were rejected by lawmakers this Session, with only a small portion of bills actually making it through both chambers of the Legislature.

But other notable measures did pass. Lawmakers approved a bill (SB 7004) to continue confidentiality protections for applicants and participants in housing assistance programs post-disaster.

And Fort Pierce Republican Sen. Erin Grall sponsored successful legislation (SB 1652) exempting stricken court documents in noncriminal cases from disclosure requirements. The measure states that maintaining access to stricken material serves no public purpose and could cause ongoing harm.

A bill by the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee (SB 7000) relates to the Open Government Sunset Review Act, amending a Florida statute that provides a public records exemption for site-specific location information of endangered and threatened species. If signed by the Governor, the legislation would remove a scheduled repeal of the exemption to ensure it remains in place beyond its original expiration date of Oct. 2, 2025.

The Senate Health Policy Committee sponsored a bill (SB 7018) carried successfully through the process by Stuart Republican Sen. Gayle Harrell. It aims to ensure identifying information of a minor seeking a judicial waiver to bypass parental consent to terminate a pregnancy remains confidential. It further extends exemptions from public records requirements for information held by courts, the Justice Administrative Commission, and the office of criminal conflict and civil regional counsel. The original repeal date of Oct. 2, 2025, for the exemption would be removed, making the provision permanent.

A bill (SB 7020) sponsored by the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee and cosponsored by St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie will, if signed, exempt certain cybersecurity-related information held by a state agency.

The legislation would make this information confidential and portions of meetings that discuss the protected information would be restricted from public records. Information includes risk assessments, audits, and records related to incidents. It extends the original exemptions repeal date until Oct. 2, 2026.