Bill Text: FL S1616 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Electronic Access to Official Records
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2024-04-29 - Chapter No. 2024-117 [S1616 Detail]
Download: Florida-2024-S1616-Enrolled.html
ENROLLED 2024 Legislature CS for SB 1616, 1st Engrossed 20241616er 1 2 An act relating to electronic access to official 3 records; amending s. 28.2221, F.S.; requiring the 4 county recorder or clerk of the court to make certain 5 information publicly available through a searchable 6 database on the county recorder’s or clerk of the 7 court’s official website; authorizing such requirement 8 to be satisfied by providing a stand-alone link to the 9 official records index; providing requirements for 10 such link; providing requirements for certain notices; 11 providing an effective date. 12 13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14 15 Section 1. Subsection (8) of section 28.2221, Florida 16 Statutes, is amended to read: 17 28.2221 Electronic access to official records.— 18 (8)(a) Each county recorder or clerk of the court must make 19 the identity of each respondent against whom a final judgment 20 for an injunction for the protection of a minor under s. 741.30, 21 s. 784.046, or s. 784.0485 is entered, as well as the fact that 22 a final judgment for an injunction for the protection of a minor 23 under s. 741.30, s. 784.046, or s. 784.0485 has been entered 24 against that respondent, publicly available on the county 25 recorder’s or clerk of the court’s official websitean Internet26website for general public display, which may include the27Internet website required by this section, unless the respondent 28 is a minor. The identity and information required under this 29 subsection must be viewable through a searchable database that 30 is available in a clear and conspicuous location on the homepage 31 of the county recorder’s or clerk of the court’s official 32 website and must be available for search by the general public. 33 (b) The requirement in paragraph (a) may be satisfied by 34 providing a stand-alone link to the official records index. The 35 link must be located in a clear and conspicuous location on the 36 homepage of the county recorder’s or clerk of the court’s 37 official website and must be available for search by the general 38 public. The link must be titled in a manner that clearly informs 39 the user that by clicking the link, the user will be redirected 40 to a searchable database on which information available pursuant 41 to this subsection relating to the identity of a respondent 42 against whom a final judgment for injunction for the protection 43 of a minor can be found. 44 (c)(b)Any information specified in this subsection not 45 made available by the countyrecorder orclerk of the court as 46 provided in this subsectionon a publicly available Internet47website for general public displaybefore July 1, 20242021, 48 must be made publicly available on the county recorder’s or 49 clerk of the court’s officialan Internetwebsite if the 50 affected party identifies the information and requests that such 51 information be addedto a publicly available Internet website52 for general public display. Such request must be in writing and 53 delivered by mail, facsimile, or electronic transmission or in 54 person to the county recorder or clerk of the court. The request 55 must specify the case number assigned to the final judgment for 56 an injunction for the protection of a minor under s. 741.30, s. 57 784.046, or s. 784.0485. A fee may not be charged for the 58 addition of information pursuant to such request. 59 (d)(c)No later than 30 days after July 1, 20242021, 60 notice of the right of any affected party to request the 61 addition of information to the searchable database on the county 62 recorder’s or clerk of the court’s officiala publicly available63Internetwebsite pursuant to this subsection mustshallbe 64 conspicuously and clearly displayed by the county recorder or 65 clerk of the court on the county recorder’s or clerk of the 66 court’s officialpublicly available Internetwebsite on which 67 images or copies of the county’s public records are placed and 68 in the office of each county recorder or clerk of the court. 69 Such notice must contain appropriate instructions for making the 70 addition of information request in person, by mail, by 71 facsimile, or by electronic transmission. The notice must state, 72 in substantially similar form, that any person has a right to 73 request that a county recorder or clerk of the court add 74 information to the searchable database on the county recorder’s 75 or clerk of the court’s officiala publicly available Internet76 website if that information involves the identity of a 77 respondent against whom a final judgment for an injunction for 78 the protection of a minor under s. 741.30, s. 784.046, or s. 79 784.0485 is entered, unless the respondent is a minor. The 80 notice must also state that the information related to the 81 identity of each respondent against whom a final judgment for an 82 injunction for the protection of a minor under s. 741.30, s. 83 784.046, or s. 784.0485 is entered is available for search by 84 the general public. The notice must include step-by-step 85 instructions detailing how a user can access the searchable 86 database and search for such information. Such request must be 87 made in writing and delivered by mail, facsimile, or electronic 88 transmission or in person to the county recorder or clerk of the 89 court. The request must specify the case number assigned to the 90 final judgment for an injunction for the protection of a minor 91 under s. 741.30, s. 784.046, or s. 784.0485. A fee may not be 92 charged for the addition of a document pursuant to such request. 93 (e)(d)Any affected person may petition the circuit court 94 for an order directing compliance with this subsection. 95 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.