Florida legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Florida S812: Public Records/Sealed Criminal History Records
Status: Failed, March 13, 2026
Expanding an existing public records exemption to include sealed criminal history records of persons adjudicated guilty of certain acts or nonviolent misdemeanor offenses; authorizing disclosure of criminal history records to a state attorney for a specified purpose; providing for future review and repeal of the expanded exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.
What the bill says
An act relating to public records; reenacting and amending s. 943.059, F.S.; expanding an existing public records exemption to include sealed criminal history records of persons adjudicated guilty of certain acts or nonviolent misdemeanor offenses; authorizing disclosure of criminal history records to a state attorney for a specified purpose; providing for future review and repeal of the expanded exemption; providing for reversion to specified statutory text if the exemption is not saved from repeal; providing for expiration…
From the introduced text, January 21, 2026:
A bill to be entitled An act relating to public records; reenacting and amending s. 943.059, F.S.; expanding an existing public records exemption to include sealed criminal history records of persons adjudicated guilty of certain acts or nonviolent misdemeanor offenses; authorizing disclosure of criminal history records to a state attorney for a specified purpose; providing for future review and repeal of the expanded exemption; providing for reversion to specified statutory text if the exemption is not saved from repeal; providing for expiration; providing a directive to the Division of Law Revision; providing a statement of public necessity; providing a contingent effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Paragraph (e) is added to subsection (6) of section 943.059, Florida Statutes, paragraph (a) of that subsection is reenacted and amended, and paragraph (d) of that subsection is reenacted, to read: 943.059 Court-ordered sealing of criminal history records.-- (6) EFFECT OF ORDER.-- (a) A criminal history record of a minor or an adult which is ordered sealed by a court pursuant to this section is confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution and is available only to the following 2. The subject's attorney; 3. Criminal justice agencies for their respective criminal justice purposes, which include conducting a …