Florida Senate - 2022 SB 1198
By Senator Jones
35-00885-22 20221198__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to public meetings and public records;
3 providing an exemption from public meetings
4 requirements for portions of meetings of the Community
5 Violence Task Force during which exempt or
6 confidential and exempt information is discussed;
7 requiring the recording and transcription of exempt
8 portions of such meetings; providing an exemption from
9 public records requirements for such recordings and
10 transcripts; providing an exception; providing a
11 statement of public necessity; providing a contingent
12 effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Present subsections (6) and (7) of Section 1 of
17 SB ____ or similar legislation, are redesignated as subsections
18 (7) and (8), respectively, and a new subsection (6) is added to
19 that section, to read:
20 (6)(a) Any portion of a meeting of the Community Violence
21 Task Force during which exempt or confidential and exempt
22 information is discussed is exempt from s. 286.011, Florida
23 Statutes, and s. 24(b), Article I of the State Constitution.
24 (b) No portion of an exempt meeting under paragraph (a) may
25 be off the record. All exempt portions of such meeting must be
26 recorded and transcribed. Such recordings and transcripts are
27 confidential and exempt from disclosure under s. 119.07(1),
28 Florida Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the State
29 Constitution unless a court of competent jurisdiction, after an
30 in camera review, determines that the meeting was not restricted
31 to the discussion of exempt or confidential and exempt
32 information as obtained by the Community Violence Task Force.
33 Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public
34 necessity that any portion of a meeting of the Community
35 Violence Task Force during which exempt or confidential and
36 exempt information is discussed be made exempt from s. 286.011,
37 Florida Statutes, and s. 24(b), Article I of the State
38 Constitution. The purpose of the task force is to investigate
39 system failures and the causes of high crime rates and gun
40 violence incidents in urban core neighborhoods and communities.
41 In addition, the task force shall develop recommendations for
42 solutions, programs, services, and strategies for improved
43 interagency communications between local and state government
44 agencies which will help facilitate the reduction of crime and
45 gun violence in urban core neighborhoods and communities. In
46 order to fulfill its directive, the task force must be able to
47 discuss exempt or confidential and exempt information that it
48 receives as part of its investigation. The public meetings
49 exemption will allow the task force to review and discuss exempt
50 or confidential and exempt information that will be useful in
51 forming meaningful recommendations for system improvements and
52 improved interagency communications. As such, it is necessary
53 that those portions of meetings wherein exempt or confidential
54 and exempt information is discussed be made exempt from public
55 meetings requirements. If such portions of the meeting are not
56 closed, the public records exemptions would be negated. Thus,
57 the Legislature finds that the public meetings exemption is a
58 public necessity in order to ensure the effective and efficient
59 administration of the Community Violence Task Force. The
60 Legislature further finds that the public records exemption for
61 recordings and transcripts of closed portions of meetings of the
62 task force is a public necessity in order to avoid disclosure of
63 any information discussed that is subject to existing public
64 records exemptions.
65 Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date that
66 SB ____ or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation
67 is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension
68 thereof and becomes a law.