HB0181 • 2026

Pub. Rec./ Pawnbroker Transactions

Privacy

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Criminal Justice Subcommittee ; Partington
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: House - Died in Judiciary Committee
Effective date: This act s

Plain English Breakdown

The official metadata states this bill 'Died in Judiciary Committee' on March 13, 2026, which contradicts the status label saying it passed. The explanation reflects the text of the bill itself rather than its final legislative fate.

Making Pawnbroker Records Sent to Law Enforcement Private

This bill makes records about pawnshop transactions sent to the Department of Law Enforcement private so they cannot be seen by the public.

What This Bill Does

Makes transaction records from pawnbrokers confidential when given to law enforcement officials or the Department of Law Enforcement.
Exempts these specific records from state laws and rules that usually require government documents to be open for public viewing.
Allows police officers to still share basic details like names, addresses, and item descriptions with people who claim they own stolen property.
Sets a rule that this privacy protection will end on October 2, 2031, unless lawmakers vote to keep it in place before then.
States that the law only becomes active if another bill called HB 1345 or similar legislation also passes and takes effect.

Who It Names or Affects

Pawnbrokers who must send transaction records to state agencies
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)
Other law enforcement officials receiving these reports
People who request public access to government documents

Terms To Know

Public Records Exemption: A rule that keeps certain government files private so the general public cannot see them.
Sunset Review: A process where a law automatically ends on a set date unless lawmakers vote to renew it.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not take effect immediately and depends entirely on whether HB 1345 or similar laws become active.
If the privacy rule is not renewed by October 2, 2031, records will return to being public unless other changes were made in between.

Bill History

2026-03-13 House
• Died in Judiciary Committee
2026-02-11 House
• Favorable by Government Operations Subcommittee • Reported out of Government Operations Subcommittee • Now in Judiciary Committee
2026-02-09 House
• Added to Government Operations Subcommittee agenda
2026-02-06 House
• Referred to Government Operations Subcommittee • Referred to Judiciary Committee • Now in Government Operations Subcommittee
2026-02-05 House
• Favorable with CS by Criminal Justice Subcommittee • Reported out of Criminal Justice Subcommittee • Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) • CS Filed • 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)
2026-02-03 House
• PCS added to Criminal Justice Subcommittee agenda
2026-01-13 House
• 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
2025-10-21 House
• Referred to Criminal Justice Subcommittee • Referred to Government Operations Subcommittee • Referred to Judiciary Committee • Now in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
2025-10-15 House
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Pub. Rec./ Pawnbroker Transactions; Provides exemption from public records requirements for records relating to pawnbroker transactions that are delivered to FDLE; provides for future legislative review & repeal of exemption; provides statement of public necessity.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

CS/HB 181 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb181-01-c1
Page 1 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to public records; amending s. 2
539.003, F.S.; providing an exemption from public 3
records requirements for records relating to 4
pawnbroker transactions that are delivered to the 5
Department of Law Enforcement; providing for future 6
legislative review and repeal of the exemption; 7
providing a statement of public necessity; providing a 8
contingent effective date. 9
10
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11
12
Section 1. Section 539.003, Florida Statutes, is amended 13
to read: 14
539.003 Confidentiality.—All records relating to 15
pawnbroker transactions delivered to appropriate law enforcement 16
officials and the Department of Law Enforcement pursuant to s. 17
539.001 are confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 18
119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution and may 19
be used only for official law enforcement purposes. This section 20
does not prohibit the disclosure by the appropriate law 21
enforcement officials or the Department of Law Enforcement of 22
the name and address of the pawnbroker, the name and address of 23
the conveying customer, or a description of pawned property to 24
the alleged owner of pawned property. 25

CS/HB 181 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb181-01-c1
Page 2 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

Section 2. The amendments to s. 539.003, Florida Statutes, 26
made by this act are subject to the Open Government Sunset 27
Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15, Florida Statutes, and 28
shall stand repealed on October 2, 2031, unless reviewed and 29
saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. If 30
such amendments are not saved from repeal, the text of s. 31
539.003, Florida Statutes, shall revert to that in existence on 32
June 30, 2026, except that any amendments to such text enacted 33
other than by this act shall be preserved and continue to 34
operate to the extent that such amendments are not dependent 35
upon the portions of text which expire pursuant to this section. 36
Section 3. The Legislature finds that it is a public 37
necessity that records related to pawnbroker transactions that 38
are delivered to the Department of Law Enforcement be made 39
confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and 40
s. 24(a), Article I of the State Constitution. The Legislature 41
previously found that identical records related to pawnbroker 42
transactions which are delivered to appropriate law enforcement 43
officials under s. 539.001, Florida Statutes, contain 44
information of a sensitive and personal nature to the pledgor or 45
seller of pledged goods and thus made such records confidential 46
and exempt from disclosure under s. 539.003, Florida Statutes. 47
The Legislature finds that requiring pawnbroker transaction 48
records to be delivered to the Department of Law Enforcement 49
does not change the sensitive and personal nature of such 50

CS/HB 181 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb181-01-c1
Page 3 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

records and, therefore, finds that such records must be made 51
confidential and exempt from public records requirements. 52
Section 4. This act shall take effect on the same date 53
that HB 1345 or similar legislation takes effect, if such 54
legislation is adopted in the same legislative session or an 55
extension thereof and becomes a law. 56