FL H0843

Petitions, records, and documents related to domestic violence injunctions that a court has ordered sealed under s. 741.301 are made confidential and exempt from Florida's public records requirements (s. 119.07(1)) and the State Constitution's public records provision (Art. I, s. 24(a))

The exemption applies only to domestic violence injunction petitions that were not granted by the court

The confidentiality exemption is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act and will automatically repeal on October 2, 2026, unless reenacted by the Legislature

The Legislature justifies the exemption by finding that persons accused of domestic violence who had no injunction issued against them face barriers to employment and risks of discrimination and public stigma from accessible records

The act's effective date is contingent on HB 841 (which creates the underlying sealing mechanism in s. 741.301) being adopted in the same legislative session and becoming law