Senate Bill sb0378

    Florida Senate - 2002                                   SB 378

    By Senator Wise





    6-345A-02                                               See HB

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to public records exemptions;

  3         amending s. 119.07, F.S.; exempting from public

  4         records requirements certain customer personal

  5         information held by publicly owned utilities;

  6         providing a statement of public necessity;

  7         providing an effective date.

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  9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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11         Section 1.  Paragraph (ee) is added to subsection (3)

12  of section 119.07, Florida Statutes, to read:

13         119.07  Inspection, examination, and duplication of

14  records; exemptions.--

15         (3)

16         (ee)  Information held by a water, wastewater, natural

17  gas, electric, cable television, or telecommunications utility

18  which is owned by a public entity, which information would

19  identify a customer of such utility if released, is exempt

20  from the provisions of subsection (1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of

21  the State Constitution. Such exempt information shall include

22  the name, social security number, address, telephone number,

23  usage records, payment history, bank account, debit, charge,

24  or credit card numbers, or driver identification number of the

25  customer. This paragraph is subject to the Open Government

26  Sunset Review Act of 1995, in accordance with s. 119.15, and

27  shall stand repealed on October 2, 2007, unless reviewed and

28  saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

29         Section 2.  Personal identifying information held by a

30  public utility reveals private information of a sensitive

31  nature and information that can be used to locate customers

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2002                                   SB 378
    6-345A-02                                               See HB




  1  and can be used to create false identities. Similar

  2  information, if held by a private utility, would not be

  3  subject to public inspection. Therefore, the privacy interests

  4  of public utility customers currently are subject to a lower

  5  standard of protection than those of private utility

  6  customers. There is a public necessity to provide to public

  7  utility customers the same level of privacy and protection

  8  from fraud and identity theft as is provided to private

  9  utility customers.

10         Section 3.  This act shall take effect October 1, 2002.

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13                       LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

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      Exempts from public records requirements specified
15    personal information held by publicly held water,
      wastewater, natural gas, electric, cable television, or
16    telecommunications utilities, which information would
      identify a utility customer if released. Provides for
17    future review and repeal.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.