HB 299 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0299-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to public records; amending s. 2
696.031, F.S.; providing an exemption from public 3
records requirements for certain information provided 4
to a property appraiser as part of a title fraud 5
prevention pilot program; providing for future 6
legislative review and repeal; providing a statement 7
of public necessity; providing a contingent effective 8
date. 9
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the St ate of Florida: 11
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Section 1. Subsection (6) of section 696.031, Florida 13
Statutes, as created by HB 289 or similar legislation, 2024 14
Regular Session, is renumbered as subsection (7), and a new 15
subsection (6) is added to that section, to read: 16
696.031 Title fraud prevention through sales contract 17
notification services; pilot program. — 18
(6)(a) The name, mailing address, e -mail address, and 19
phone number of a seller submitted to a property appraiser 20
pursuant to this section are confidential and exempt from s. 21
119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 22
(b) This subsection is subject to the Open Government 23
Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand 24
repealed on October 2, 2029, unless reviewed and saved from 25
HB 299 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0299-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 26
Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public 27
necessity that the name, mailing address, e -mail address, and 28
phone number of a seller submitted to a property appraiser 29
pursuant to s. 696.031, Florida Statutes, be m ade confidential 30
and exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes and s. 24(a) of 31
the State Constitution. The provisions of s. 696.031, Florida 32
Statutes, are created to protect real property owners from fraud 33
in real estate transactions by informing an owner that a 34
contract for the sale or purchase of his or her real estate has 35
been executed. Information required to be provided to the 36
property appraiser pursuant to s. 696.031, Florida Statutes, is 37
of a sensitive, personal nature, and disclosure of such 38
information about property seller is an invasion of that 39
person's privacy. Making public the private information of a 40
property seller could have a chilling effect on real property 41
sales. 42
Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date 43
that HB 289 or other similar legislation takes effect, if such 44
legislation is adopted in the same legislative session or an 45
extension thereof and becomes law . 46