Florida SB 1162: Veterinary Practices

Bill Text

1162 
Public Records/Office of the Corrections Ombudsman and the Corrections Oversight Committee 
2026-01-06T04:10:45Z 
Providing a public records exemption for correspondence and communications with the Office of the Corrections Ombudsman and the Corrections Oversight Committee; providing a statement of public necessity, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1162 

 By Senator Rodriguez 

 40-01594-26 20261162__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to public records; amending s. 11.92, 
 3 F.S.; providing a public records exemption for 
 4 correspondence and communications with the Office of 
 5 the Corrections Ombudsman and the Corrections 
 6 Oversight Committee; providing a statement of public 
 7 necessity; providing a contingent effective date. 
 8 
 9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 10 
 11 Section 1. Subsections (8) through (10) of section 11.92, 
 12 Florida Statutes, as created by SB ____, 2026 Regular Session, 
 13 are renumbered as subsections (9) through (11), respectively, 
 14 and a new subsection (8) is added to that section, to read: 
 15 11.92 Office of the Corrections Ombudsman.— 
 16 (8) Correspondence and communications between incarcerated 
 17 persons or the public and the office, the Ombudsman, the members 
 18 of the committee, and office staff are confidential and exempt 
 19 from s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 
 20 Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public 
 21 necessity that correspondence and communications with the Office 
 22 of the Corrections Ombudsman and the Corrections Oversight 
 23 Committee be made confidential and exempt from s. 24(a), Article 
 24 I of the State Constitution. Public disclosure of such 
 25 correspondence and communications could jeopardize the safety of 
 26 incarcerated persons. It is essential to the functioning of the 
 27 office that incarcerated persons and the public feel free to 
 28 communicate with the office concerning conditions in and 
 29 operations of correctional facilities. The public records 
 30 exemption is necessary to protect incarcerated persons from 
 31 retaliation by correctional officers who are under investigation 
 32 as a result of communications with the office. 
 33 Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date that 
 34 SB ___ or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation 
 35 is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension 
 36 thereof and becomes a law.