FL H0939

E-mail addresses collected by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles for notifications related to vehicle titles, license plate renewals, driver licenses, identification cards, and vessel registrations are exempt from public records requirements under Florida law and the State Constitution.

The exemption applies retroactively to e-mail addresses already collected by the department.

The exemption is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act and will automatically repeal on October 2, 2031, unless the Legislature reviews and reenacts it.

The Legislature finds that protecting these e-mail addresses from public disclosure is necessary to prevent identity theft, consumer scams, and unwanted solicitations, and that this privacy risk outweighs the state's open government policy.

The bill takes effect only if HB 937 or similar legislation expanding the department's authority to use e-mail for notifications is adopted and becomes law in the same legislative session.