Senate Bill sb0070Bc1
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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 70-B
    By the Committee on Governmental Oversight and Productivity;
    and Senators Brown-Waite, Smith and Crist
    302-471A-02
  1                      A bill to be entitled
  2         An act relating to public records; amending s.
  3         119.07, F.S.; creating an exemption from
  4         public-records requirements; providing that a
  5         request by a law enforcement agency from
  6         another agency for information from a public
  7         entity is exempt; providing that the response
  8         of a public entity to a law enforcement agency
  9         for information is exempt; providing a
10         statement of public necessity; providing an
11         effective date.
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13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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15         Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
16  119.07, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
17         119.07  Inspection, examination, and duplication of
18  records; exemptions.--
19         (3)
20         (b)1.  Active criminal intelligence information and
21  active criminal investigative information are exempt from the
22  provisions of subsection (1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State
23  Constitution.
24         2.  A request of a law enforcement agency to inspect or
25  copy a public record that is in the custody of another agency,
26  the custodian's response to the request, and any information
27  that would identify the public record that was requested by
28  the law enforcement agency or provided by the custodian are
29  exempt from the requirements of subsection (1) and s. 24(a),
30  Art. I of the State Constitution, during the period in which
31  the information constitutes criminal-intelligence information
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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 70-B
    302-471A-02
  1  or criminal-investigative information that is active. The law
  2  enforcement agency shall give notice to the custodial agency
  3  when the criminal-intelligence information or
  4  criminal-investigative information is no longer active, so
  5  that the custodian's response to the request and information
  6  that would identify the public record requested are available
  7  to the public. This subparagraph is subject to the Open
  8  Government Sunset Review Act of 1995 in accordance with s.
  9  119.15 and shall stand repealed October 2, 2007, unless
10  reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the
11  Legislature.
12         Section 2.  The Legislature finds that the exemption
13  from public-records requirements which is provided in section
14  119.07(3)(b)2., Florida Statutes, is a public necessity
15  because criminal investigations are jeopardized if law
16  enforcement requests to inspect or copy a public record, the
17  record custodian's response to such a request, or other
18  information that would identify the records requested are
19  available to the public. Persons who obtain such information
20  may inadvertently or purposefully make the subjects of such
21  investigations aware that an investigation is active. If it is
22  discovered that criminal activity is being investigated,
23  perpetrators of that activity may flee, destroy evidence,
24  evade prosecution, or speed up the timetable for the
25  performance of that illegal activity. Therefore, the
26  Legislature finds that requests of law enforcement agencies to
27  inspect or copy public records that are in the custody of
28  other agencies, as well as the response of the custodian to
29  such a request, and any information that would identify the
30  specific records requested by a law enforcement agency, must
31  be exempt during the period in which the information
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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 70-B
    302-471A-02
  1  constitutes criminal-intelligence information or
  2  criminal-investigative information that is active.
  3         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a
  4  law.
  5
  6          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
  7                         Senate Bill 70-B
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  9  Creates an exemption for the request of a law enforcement
    agency to inspect or copy records of another agency that are
10  related to an active criminal investigation.
11  Also exempts the response of the custodial agency to the law
    enforcement request, as well as any information that would
12  identify the requested records.
13  Sunsets the exemption on October 2, 2007, unless reviewed and
    reenacted by the Legislature.
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    Provides a statement of public necessity.
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