General Exemptions From Public Meetings.

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(1) That portion of a meeting that would reveal a security or firesafety system plan or portion thereof made confidential and exempt by s. 119.071(3)(a) is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of the State Constitution. This subsection is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2023, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

(2)(a) For purposes of this subsection:

  1. 1. “Competitive solicitation” means the process of requesting and receiving sealed bids, proposals, or replies in accordance with the terms of a competitive process, regardless of the method of procurement.

  2. 2. “Team” means a group of members established by an agency for the purpose of conducting negotiations as part of a competitive solicitation.

  1. (b)1. Any portion of a meeting at which a negotiation with a vendor is conducted pursuant to a competitive solicitation, at which a vendor makes an oral presentation as part of a competitive solicitation, or at which a vendor answers questions as part of a competitive solicitation is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of the State Constitution.

  2. 2. Any portion of a team meeting at which negotiation strategies are discussed is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of the State Constitution.

  1. (c)1. A complete recording shall be made of any portion of an exempt meeting. No portion of the exempt meeting may be held off the record.

  2. 2. The recording of, and any records presented at, the exempt meeting are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution until such time as the agency provides notice of an intended decision or until 30 days after opening the bids, proposals, or final replies, whichever occurs earlier.

  3. 3. If the agency rejects all bids, proposals, or replies and concurrently provides notice of its intent to reissue a competitive solicitation, the recording and any records presented at the exempt meeting remain exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution until such time as the agency provides notice of an intended decision concerning the reissued competitive solicitation or until the agency withdraws the reissued competitive solicitation. A recording and any records presented at an exempt meeting are not exempt for longer than 12 months after the initial agency notice rejecting all bids, proposals, or replies.

(3)(a) That portion of a meeting held by a utility owned or operated by a unit of local government which would reveal information that is exempt under s. 119.0713(5) is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of the State Constitution. All exempt portions of such a meeting must be recorded and transcribed. The recording and transcript of the meeting are exempt from disclosure under s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution unless a court of competent jurisdiction, following an in camera review, determines that the meeting was not restricted to the discussion of data and information made exempt by this section. In the event of such a judicial determination, only the portion of the recording or transcript which reveals nonexempt data and information may be disclosed to a third party.

(b) This subsection is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2024, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

(4)(a) Any portion of a meeting that would reveal building plans, blueprints, schematic drawings, or diagrams, including draft, preliminary, and final formats, which depict the structural elements of 911, E911, or public safety radio communication system infrastructure, including towers, antennae, equipment or facilities used to provide 911, E911, or public safety radio communication services, or other 911, E911, or public safety radio communication structures or facilities made exempt by s. 119.071(3)(e)1.a. is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24, Art. I of the State Constitution.

(b) Any portion of a meeting that would reveal geographical maps indicating the actual or proposed locations of 911, E911, or public safety radio communication system infrastructure, including towers, antennae, equipment or facilities used to provide 911, E911, or public safety radio communication services, or other 911, E911, or public safety radio communication structures or facilities made exempt by s. 119.071(3)(e)1.b. is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24, Art. I of the State Constitution.

(c) No portion of an exempt meeting under paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) may be off the record. All exempt portions of such meeting shall be recorded and transcribed. Such recordings and transcripts are confidential and exempt from disclosure under s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution unless a court of competent jurisdiction, after an in camera review, determines that the meeting was not restricted to the discussion of the information made exempt by s. 119.071(3)(e)1.a. or b. In the event of such a judicial determination, only that portion of the recording and transcript which reveals nonexempt information may be disclosed to a third party.

(d) For purposes of this subsection, the term “public safety radio” is defined as the means of communication between and among 911 public safety answering points, dispatchers, and first responder agencies using those portions of the radio frequency spectrum designated by the Federal Communications Commission under 47 C.F.R. part 90 for public safety purposes.

(e) This subsection is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2025, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

History.—s. 2, ch. 2001-361; s. 44, ch. 2005-251; s. 2, ch. 2006-158; s. 2, ch. 2006-284; s. 13, ch. 2010-151; s. 2, ch. 2011-140; s. 2, ch. 2016-49; s. 3, ch. 2018-146; s. 1, ch. 2019-37; s. 2, ch. 2020-13.


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