But lawmakers have quietly filed bills seeking to keep other personal information the state collects private. Last year at this time it was just 79, she added. State Sen. Locke Burt, R-Ormond Beach, said Gov. Jeb Bush asked him to sponsor the changes proposed by a state task force on privacy. Burt's bills package would establish the office of chief privacy and public access officer, and require agencies to review information they are collecting and releasing. It would increase the penalties for anyone who uses public records, many of which are available now on the Internet, for a criminal purpose.
Identity theft is a serious problem in Florida.
To illustrate, Burt pulled three fake driver licenses from the top drawer of his desk. All bore official-looking markings, including a hologram of the state. Former military personnel are told to file their discharge papers with the circuit court for safekeeping. What they weren't told is that in Florida they become public record. Another of Burt's bills would exempt the discharge papers.