Obtaining records of Florida statutes and regulations is easy, and is a great way to keep your business in compliance. You can also get the information you need to make sure your family is safe.
Public Records
Whether you’re a government employee, newsgathering organization, or citizen, it’s important to understand the history of the Florida Public Records Law. These laws protect certain types of documents from public disclosure. You also need to know how to request records and who is obligated to produce them.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office has published a comprehensive manual on open government law, known as the “Government-in-the-Sunshine” manual. This publication is available at no taxpayer expense to the public. Those interested in learning more about this law can contact the Office of Open Government.
The Office of Open Government is responsible for processing public records requests and providing an estimated cost estimate. The actual cost of the request will be invoiced to the person making the request. The fee for copies may be charged, but only if it does not exceed the law’s limits.
The Attorney General’s Office has consistently sought to defend Florida’s pioneering open government laws. These laws are under increasing scrutiny due to the rapid development of new technology. The courts are now forced to decide whether new technologies comply with public records policy.
Death care industry regulation
Among other things, Florida statutes regulate the death care industry. Specifically, they distinguish between a funeral home and a preneed certificate holder. This distinction is helpful in reducing confusion among potential clients.
One thing is for sure, the death care industry is a complicated one. This is largely due to the large numbers of aging Floridians. The state has 3.3 million residents aged 65 and over. The demographics make it a prime location for the sale of funeral-related life insurance policies.
Similarly, it is a good idea to note that a preneed contract can be sold to an insured’s family for his or her final expenses. However, this does not include the use of the insured’s own funds. Moreover, there are several ways in which a funeral home can become the beneficiary of a preneed contract.
This is a relatively new area of regulation and the rules are fairly complex. There are a few laws regulating the sale of funeral-related life insurance policies and you need to be aware of them.
Government-in-the-Sunshine laws
Basically, the Sunshine Law is a set of laws passed by the Florida legislature that provide citizens with access to government proceedings. The law provides for a right to attend public meetings and to examine official records.
The government-in-the-Sunshine law is found in Chapter 286 of Florida Statutes. It applies to state agencies, county boards, and public collegial bodies. This law was enacted in 1967.
The Sunshine Law is not the only open government law that Florida has. The Florida Constitution states that legislative and executive action taken by the Legislature must be open to the public. Similarly, the Federal Government-in-the-Sunshine Act provides for a similar openness in the Federal Government.
The Sunshine Act is also known as the Open Meetings Act. It is similar to the Freedom of Information Act of 1966. However, it differs in its requirements for notice of meetings. Specifically, it does not require a quorum for meetings to be covered by the law.
The Sunshine Act was designed to raise the bar of transparency in the federal government. Its primary purpose is to maintain high ethical standards in government while avoiding corruption.
Tracing federal statutes
Whether you live in Florida or not, you are governed by federal laws, regulations, and administrative agency decisions. These laws can be found in print sources as well as electronic sources. There are also three federal district courts in Florida that issue decision that may affect residents. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reviews decisions from the federal district courts in Florida. The Florida Supreme Court interprets the state constitution as well as Florida statutes.
The Florida legislature passes laws annually, which are published in the Florida Statutes. The Florida Statutes supplement, which only contains laws changed in an even-numbered year, is published after the regular session. This supplement, along with the rest of the Florida Statutes, has been published in full annually since 1999. These publications are available for free at the Florida Academic Law Libraries. The Law Library has a page on tracing federal legislation.
You can also find cases and briefs filed in those cases in the Florida State University College of Law Research Center’s Digital Projects. These cases were compiled through recordings of oral arguments from 1984 to 1997. These materials were contributed to the College of Law Research Center by the law libraries of Florida State University and Nova Southeastern University. The Florida Academic Law Libraries gratefully acknowledge these contributions.
