Fla. Stat. § 501.1737 — Florida Code / Title XXXIII / Chapter 501 / Part I / Section 501.1737
501.1737 Age verification for online access to materials harmful to minors.
Status: in_force

(1) As used in this section, the term: (a) “Anonymous age verification” has the same meaning as in s. 501.1738. (b) “Commercial entity” includes a corporation, a limited liability company, a partnership, a limited partnership, a sole proprietorship, and any other legally recognized entity. (c) “Department” means the Department of Legal Affairs. (d) “Distribute” means to issue, sell, give, provide, deliver, transfer, transmit, circulate, or disseminate by any means. (e) “Material harmful to minors” means any material that: 1. The average person applying contemporary community standards would find, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; 2. Depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct as specifically defined in s. 847.001(19); and 3. When taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors. (f) “News-gathering organization” means any of the following: 1. A newspaper, news publication, or news source, printed or published online or on a mobile platform, engaged in reporting current news and matters of public interest, and an employee thereof who can provide documentation of such employment. 2. A radio broadcast station, television broadcast station, cable television operator, or wire service, and an employee thereof who can provide documentation of such employment. (g) “Publish” means to communicate or make information available to another person or entity on a publicly available website or application. (h) “Resident” means a person who lives in this state for more than 6 months of the year. (i) “Standard age verification” means any commercially reasonable method of age verification approved by the commercial entity. (j) “Substantial portion” means more than 33.3 percent of total material on a website or application.

(2) A commercial entity that knowingly and intentionally publishes or distributes material harmful to minors on a website or application, if the website or application contains a substantial portion of material harmful to minors, must use either anonymous age verification or standard age verification to verify that the age of a person attempting to access the material is 18 years of age or older and prevent access to the material by a person younger than 18 years of age. The commercial entity must offer anonymous age verification and standard age verification, and a person attempting to access the material may select which method will be used to verify his or her age.

(3) A commercial entity must ensure that the requirements of s. 501.1738 are met.

(4)(a) This section does not apply to any bona fide news or public interest broadcast, website video, report, or event and does not affect the rights of a news-gathering organization. (b) An Internet service provider or its affiliates or subsidiaries, a search engine, or a cloud service provider does not violate this section solely for providing access or connection to or from a website or other information or content on the Internet or a facility, system, or network not under the provider’s control, including transmission, downloading, intermediate storage, or access software, to the extent the provider is not responsible for the creation of the content of the communication which constitutes material harmful to minors.

(5)(a) Any violation of subsection (2) or subsection (3) is deemed an unfair and deceptive trade practice actionable under part II of this chapter solely by the department on behalf of a resident minor against a commercial entity. If the department has reason to believe that a commercial entity is in violation of subsection (2) or subsection (3), the department, as the enforcing authority, may bring an action against the commercial entity for an unfair or deceptive act or practice. For the purpose of bringing an action pursuant to this section, ss. 501.211 and 501.212 do not apply. In addition to any other remedy under part II of this chapter, the department may collect a civil penalty of up to $50,000 per violation and reasonable attorney fees and court costs. When the commercial entity’s failure to comply with subsection (2) or subsection (3) is a consistent pattern of conduct of the commercial entity, punitive damages may be assessed against the commercial entity. (b) A third party that performs age verification for a commercial entity in violation of s. 501.1738 is deemed to have committed an unfair and deceptive trade practice actionable under part II of this chapter solely by the department against such third party. If the department has reason to believe that the third party is in violation of s. 501.1738, the department, as the enforcing authority, may bring an action against such third party for an unfair or deceptive act or practice. For the purpose of bringing an action pursuant to this section, ss. 501.211 and 501.212 do not apply. In addition to other remedies under part II of this chapter, the department may collect a civil penalty of up to $50,000 per violation and reasonable attorney fees and court costs. (c) A commercial entity that violates subsection (2) for failing to prohibit access or prohibit a minor from future access to material harmful to minors after a report of unauthorized or unlawful access is liable to the minor for such access, including court costs and reasonable attorney fees as ordered by the court. Claimants may be awarded up to $10,000 in damages. A civil action for a claim under this paragraph must be brought within 1 year from the date the complainant knew, or reasonably should have known, of the alleged violation. (d) Any action under this subsection may only be brought on behalf of or by a resident minor.

(6) For purposes of bringing an action under subsection (5), a commercial entity that publishes or distributes material harmful to minors on a website or application, if the website or application contains a substantial portion of material harmful to minors and such website or application is available to be accessed in this state, is considered to be both engaged in substantial and not isolated activities within this state and operating, conducting, engaging in, or carrying on a business and doing business in this state, and is therefore subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of this state.

(7) This section does not preclude any other available remedy at law or equity.

(8)(a) If, by its own inquiry or as a result of complaints, the department has reason to believe that an entity or person has engaged in, or is engaging in, an act or practice that violates this section, the department may administer oaths and affirmations, subpoena witnesses or matter, and collect evidence. Within 5 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, after the service of a subpoena or at any time before the return date specified therein, whichever is longer, the party served may file in the circuit court in the county in which it resides or in which it transacts business and serve upon the enforcing authority a petition for an order modifying or setting aside the subpoena. The petitioner may raise any objection or privilege which would be available upon service of such subpoena in a civil action. The subpoena shall inform the party served of its rights under this subsection. (b) If the matter that the department seeks to obtain by subpoena is located outside the state, the entity or person subpoenaed may make it available to the department or its representative to examine the matter at the place where it is located. The department may designate representatives, including officials of the state in which the matter is located, to inspect the matter on its behalf and may respond to similar requests from officials of other states. (c) Upon failure of an entity or person without lawful excuse to obey a subpoena and upon reasonable notice to all persons affected, the department may apply to the circuit court for an order compelling compliance. (d) The department may request that an entity or person that refuses to comply with a subpoena on the ground that testimony or matter may incriminate the entity or person be ordered by the court to provide the testimony or matter. Except in a prosecution for perjury, an entity or individual that complies with a court order to provide testimony or matter after asserting a valid privilege against self-incrimination shall not have the testimony or matter so provided, or evidence derived therefrom, received against the entity or person in any criminal investigation or proceeding. (e) Any entity or person upon whom a subpoena is served pursuant to this section shall comply with the terms thereof unless otherwise provided by order of the court. Any entity or person that fails to appear with the intent to avoid, evade, or prevent compliance in whole or in part with any investigation under this part or that removes from any place, conceals, withholds, mutilates, alters, or destroys, or by any other means falsifies any documentary material in the possession, custody, or control of any entity or person subject to any such subpoena, or knowingly conceals any relevant information with the intent to avoid, evade, or prevent compliance, shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 per week in violation, reasonable attorney fees, and costs.

(9)(a) All information held by the department pursuant to a notification of a violation of this section or an investigation of a violation of this section is confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution, until such time as the investigation is completed or ceases to be active. This exemption shall be construed in conformity with s. 119.071(2)(c). (b) During an active investigation, information made confidential and exempt pursuant to paragraph (a) may be disclosed by the department: 1. In the furtherance of its official duties and responsibilities; 2. For print, publication, or broadcast if the department determines that such release would assist in notifying the public or locating or identifying a person whom the department believes to be a victim of an improper use or disposal of customer records, except that information made confidential and exempt by paragraph (c) may not be released pursuant to this subparagraph; or 3. To another governmental entity in the furtherance of its official duties and responsibilities. (c) Upon completion of an investigation or once an investigation ceases to be active, the following information held by the department shall remain confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution: 1. Information that is otherwise confidential or exempt from s. 119.07(1) or s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 2. Personal identifying information. 3. A computer forensic report. 4. Information that would otherwise reveal weaknesses in the data security of the commercial entity. 5. Information that would disclose the proprietary information of the commercial entity. (d) For purposes of this subsection, the term “proprietary information” means information that: 1. Is owned or controlled by the commercial entity. 2. Is intended to be private and is treated by the commercial entity as private because disclosure would harm the commercial entity or its business operations. 3. Has not been disclosed except as required by law or a private agreement that provides that the information will not be released to the public. 4. Is not publicly available or otherwise readily ascertainable through proper means from another source in the same configuration as received by the department. 5. Reveals competitive interests, the disclosure of which would impair the competitive advantage of the commercial entity that is the subject of the information. (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, 2029, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

(10) The department may adopt rules to implement this section.

History: s. 2, ch. 2024-42; s. 3, ch. 2024-54.