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Priority Bills of Interest

Redaction/Privacy Shielding

HB 781 - Public Records (Companion SB 844)

FLTA Priority

Robinson

Authorizes certain persons to access information in Official Records of county which is otherwise exempt from public records under specified conditions; prescribes requirements for requesting access; authorizes clerks of circuit court to enter into limited access licensing agreements to allow electronic access to official records; provides criminal penalties; prohibits county recorder or clerk of court from placing exempt information on publicly available website; requires person claiming public records exemption to seek removal of information from website in specified manner; prescribes procedures for restoring public access to exempt information; specifies applicability of specified public records exemptions to specified entities; provides procedures for restoration of previously redacted or removed information.

Status: Awaiting 1st committee stop (Government Operations Subcommittee)

SB 844 - Public Records (Companion HB 781)

FLTA Priority

Hooper

Authorizing certain persons to access information recorded in the Official Records of a county which is otherwise exempt from public records requirements, if specified conditions are met; authorizing clerks of the circuit court to enter into limited access licensing agreements to allow electronic access to official records for specified parties; prohibiting a county recorder or a clerk of the court from placing information subject to specified public records exemptions on a publicly available website; providing procedures for the restoration of previously redacted information, etc.

Status: Passed Governmental Oversight and Accountability (6-0); Awaiting 2nd Committee in Community Affairs

Notaries Public (Remote Online Notary)

HB 121 - Notaries Public (Companion SB 228)

FLTA Priority

Garrison

Authorizes employer of notary public to require use of particular technology & provider in performing notarial act with respect to electronic record; clarifies application of online electronic witnessing standards when witness is not in physical presence of principal; requires remote online notarization service provider to maintain audio-video communication recordings of online notarizations; requires remote online notarization service provider to file self-certification with DOS; prohibits remote online notarization service provider from using, selling, or offering to sell or transfer personal information obtained in course of performing online notarizations.

Status: Passed Civil Justice & Property Rights Committee (18-0); Awaiting final committee (Judiciary Committee)

SB 228 - Notaries Public (Companion HB 121)

FLTA Priority

Bradley

Authorizing an employer of a notary public to require the use of a particular technology and provider in performing a notarial act with respect to an electronic record; modifying requirements for entries in the electronic journal maintained by an online notary public; clarifying that an online notary public is entitled to select his or her remote online notarization service provider; clarifying limitations on fees charged for online notarizations, etc.

Status: Passed Commerce & Tourism (11-0); Passed Judiciary Committee (10-0); Awaiting final committee (Rules)

Monitored Bills

Redaction/Privacy Shielding

HB 31 - Clerks of the Court (Companion SB 382)

Clemons

Requires certain service charges to be distributed in specified manner; specifies amount of charges for certain services rendered & instruments that are not court records; revises distribution of revenue from filing fees at start of certain appellate proceedings; requires clerks of court to submit requests for reimbursement for jury-related costs to Clerks of Court Operations Corporation; requires corporation to submit certain information to JAC & to submit request for payment to CFO; removes provision authorizing commission to apportion funds among counties for certain purposes.

SB 68 - Public Records/Staff and Volunteers of Domestic Violence Centers (Companion HB 691)

Garcia

Public Records/Staff and Volunteers of Domestic Violence Centers; Exempting personal identifying and location information of current and former staff and volunteers of domestic violence centers certified by the Department of Children and Families under ch. 39, F.S., and personal identifying and location information of spouses and children of such personnel, from public records requirements; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.

HB 155 - Pub. Rec./Voters and Voter Registration (No Current Companion)

Stevenson

Provides exemption from public records requirements for specified information regarding voter or voter registration applicant; authorizes disclosure of confidential & exempt information under certain circumstances; provides for future legislative review & repeal; provides statement of public necessity.

HB 327 - Public Rec./Disaster Response (Companion SB 418)

Rommel

Creates exemption from public records requirements for name, address, & telephone number of person which are held by agency providing shelter or assistance to such person during emergency; provides for future legislative review & repeal of exemption; provides statement of public necessity.

SB 400 - Public Records (Companion HB 913)

Rodrigues

Public Records; Prohibiting an agency that receives a request to inspect or copy a record from responding to such request by filing an action for declaratory relief against the requester, etc.

SB 418 - Public Records/Persons Seeking Shelter (Companion HB 327)

Burgess

Public Records/Persons Seeking Shelter; Creating an exemption from public records requirements for the name, address, and telephone number of a person which are held by an agency providing shelter or assistance to such person during an emergency; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.

SB 654 - Public Records/Department of Military Affairs (No Current Companion)

Bradley

Providing an exemption from public records requirements for certain records in the custody of the Department of Military Affairs which are protected from disclosure under specified federal laws; providing that certain information may be disclosed only in accordance with applicable federal and state laws; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.

HB 691 - Public Records/Staff and Volunteers of Domestic Violence Centers (Companion SB 68)

Borrero

Pub. Rec./Staff and Volunteers of Domestic Violence Centers: Exempts personal identifying & location information of current & former staff & volunteers of certain domestic violence centers certified by DCF & personal identifying & location information of spouses & children of such personnel, from public records requirements; provides for future legislative review & repeal of exemption; provides statement of public necessity. Effective Date: upon becoming a law

HB 913 - Requests for Public Records (Companion SB 400)

McClure

Requests for Public Records: Prohibits agency that receives request to inspect or copy record from responding to such request by filing action for declaratory relief against requester. Effective Date: July 1, 2021

SB 382 - Public Records (Companion HB 31)

Hooper

Specifying the amount of charges for certain services rendered by, and instruments filed with, the clerk of the circuit court which are not court records; revising the distribution of revenue from filing fees from the institution of certain appellate proceedings; requiring the clerks of the court to submit requests for reimbursement for jury-related costs to the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation within specified timeframes, etc.

Notaries Public (Remote Online Notary)

HB 483 - Electronic Legal Documents (Companion SB 848)

Altman

Clarifies that supervising witnessing of electronic record by online notary public is notarial act; specifies applicability of online notarization procedures to supervision of witnessing of electronic record; modifies witnessing procedures; revises statutory forms for affidavit for acceptance of & reliance upon power of attorney, for notice of election relating to descent of homestead property, for self-proof of will or codicil, for disposition of certain assets at death, & for petition of summary relief for sale or transfer of property owned by absentee, to reflect means of notarization.

SB 848 - Electronic Legal Documents (Companion HB 483)

Powell

Revising the definition of the term “online notarization”; clarifying that supervising the witnessing of an electronic record by an online notary public is a notarial act; revising the statutory form for an affidavit for acceptance of and reliance upon a power of attorney to reflect means of notarization; revising the form for a petition of summary relief for the sale or transfer of certain property owned by an absentee to reflect means of notarization, etc.

Community Associations

SB 630 - Community Associations (No Current Companion)

Baxley

Prohibiting insurance policies from providing specified rights of subrogation under certain circumstances; authorizing a condominium association to extinguish discriminatory restrictions; providing requirements for natural gas fuel stations on property governed by condominium associations; authorizing parties to initiate presuit mediation under certain circumstances; revising the allowable uses of certain escrow funds withdrawn by developers, etc.

SB 56 - Community Association Assessment Notices (No Current Companion)

Rodriguez

Requiring condominium associations to maintain specified affirmative acknowledgments as official records of the association; revising timeframes for foreclosure judgments; requiring condominium associations to deliver certain statements of account to unit owners in a specified manner; requiring condominium associations to give notice to unit owners before changing the method of delivery for the statements of account; requiring cooperative associations to maintain specified affirmative acknowledgments as official records of the association, etc.

Estates and Trusts

SB 1070 - Estates and Trusts (No companion to date; not currently linked to HB 609)

Berman

Estates and Trusts; Requiring the court to allow an officer to elect to post and maintain a certain bond; providing that certain provisions of a will are void upon dissolution of marriage; creating the “Florida Uniform Directed Trust Act”; specifying that trustees and trust directors do not have a duty to monitor, inform, or advise specified persons under certain circumstances; creating the “Community Property Trust Act”; providing that certain property held in a community property trust qualifies as homestead property, etc. Effective Date: Except as otherwise expressly provided in this act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1, 2021

HB 609 - Estates and Trusts (No companion to date; not currently linked to SB 1070)

Diamond

Estates and Trusts: Revises provisions relating to estates, trusts, dissolution of marriage, trustees, & homestead property; creates "Florida Uniform Directed Trust Act"; creates "Community Property Trust Act". Effective Date: July 1, 2021

Legislative Review of Occupational Licenses

SB 344 - Legislative Review of Occupational Licenses (Identical Bill to HB 471; Similar to HB 717)

Diaz

Legislative Review of Occupational Regulations; Citing this act as the "Occupational Regulation Sunset Act"; establishing a schedule for the systematic review of occupational regulatory programs; providing for the abolition of personnel positions responsible for repealed programs; requiring the Department of Legal Affairs to prosecute or defend certain pending causes of action, etc. Effective Date: Except as otherwise expressly provided in this act, this act shall take effect upon becoming a law

HB 471 - Legislative Review of Occupational Licenses (Identical Bill to SB 344; Similar to HB 717)

Rizo

Legislative Review of Occupational Regulations: Establishes schedule for systematic review & repeal of occupational regulatory programs; provides for reversion of certain unexpended funds & refund of certain unencumbered revenue of repealed program; preempts regulation of occupation to state if occupation's regulatory program has been repealed through this act. Effective Date: upon becoming a law

HB 717 - Consumer Protection (Similar to HB 471 and SB 344)

Clemons

Consumer Protection: Prohibits consumer reporting agencies from charging to reissue or provide new unique personal identifier to certain consumers; prohibits unlicensed activity by adjusting firm; prohibits person from providing claims adjusting services unless person meets specified requirements; authorizes department to disapprove use of insurance agency names containing words "Medicare" or "Medicaid"; prohibits licensed contractors & subcontractors from engaging in certain activities unless licensed & compliant as public adjusters; provides disclosure requirement that insurance coverage must meet before being eligible for export under Surplus Lines Law; prohibits life insurer from writing new policies of industrial life insurance beginning on certain date; prohibits foreign venue clauses in property insurance policies; provides penalties for licensed bail bond agent or temporary bail bond agent who knowingly engages in certain activities. Effective Date: upon becoming a law

Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (PACE)

HB 387 - Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (Companion SB 1208)

Fine

Specifies that property owners may apply to PACE program for enumerated purposes; provides directives to PACE program administrators, local governments, PACE contractors regarding PACE assessment contracts on residential and commercial real properties.

SB 1208 - Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (Companion HB 387)

Rodriguez; Co-Sponsor: Gruters

Property Assessed Clean Energy Program; Revising legislative intent regarding the types of improvements that qualify for specified financing under this act; specifying that a property owner may apply to a PACE program for certain purposes; requiring a qualifying improvement to be affixed or plan to be affixed to specified properties before final funding; requiring a PACE administrator to make specified determinations about a property owner’s ability to pay the annual PACE assessment; prohibiting a PACE administrator from offering specified types of financing for residential real properties, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2021