Florida Senate - 2026                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 350
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì801624ÅÎ801624                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  01/26/2026           .                                
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       The Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability
       (Grall) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (465530) 
    2  
    3         Delete lines 129 - 148
    4  and insert:
    5         (2) The Legislature finds that it is a public necessity
    6  that the portion of public records that is held by an agency
    7  that regularly generates or receives information from or
    8  concerning victims of crime, which contains the name of an
    9  officer who became a victim in the course and scope of the
   10  officer's employment or official duties be made confidential and
   11  exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes and s. 24(a), Art. I
   12  of the State Constitution for a 72-hour period after the
   13  incident in which the officer became a victim. The Legislature
   14  further finds it is a public necessity that these portions of a
   15  public record be exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I
   16  of the State Constitution for an additional 60 days after the
   17  expiration of the 72-hour period.
   18         (3) Victims, their lawful representative, family member,
   19  and next of kin, have a right to be free from intimidation,
   20  harassment, and abuse. Community attention is often piqued when
   21  a person becomes a victim, which may lead to the undue intrusion
   22  into the person's privacy, as well as his or her family members,
   23  legal representative, or next of kin. The identifying
   24  information of such persons could be used to further traumatize
   25  them. The risk of additional harm or harassment outweighs any
   26  public benefit that may be derived from the public disclosure of
   27  such information. The Legislature also finds that the release of
   28  such portions of records may deter crime victims from
   29  cooperating with law enforcement and reporting criminal acts
   30  based on a victim's fear of additional retaliation or attention.
   31  This exemption is narrowly tailored to balance the public's
   32  right to access public records by allowing the release of the
   33  name of a law enforcement officer who becomes a victim within
   34  the course and scope of his or her employment or duties 63 days
   35  after the incident. The risk of additional harm or harassment
   36  outweighs any public benefit that may be derived from the public
   37  disclosure of such information.