FL S1806

Exempts respondent names at trial and on appeal from public records disclosure in mental health examination and treatment cases, and substance abuse treatment and assessment cases.

Expands the confidentiality exemption to include applications for voluntary and involuntary mental health examinations or treatments, and applications for voluntary or involuntary substance abuse treatment, assessment, and stabilization.

Permits courts to use respondent names internally for scheduling and adjudicating cases, including transmission of court orders to parties, while prohibiting publication on court dockets or publicly accessible files.

Extends the exemption applicability to appeals pending or filed on or after July 1, 2021, and extends the sunset review date from October 2, 2024 to October 2, 2026 for mental health records and from October 2, 2022 to October 2, 2026 for substance abuse records.

Establishes a legislative finding that mental health and substance abuse information are sensitive medical conditions requiring confidentiality to protect individuals and families from reputational harm and to encourage treatment-seeking behavior.