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Miami Herald
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Here's why we must protect Florida elected officials by sealing home addresses
Government transparency is good for democracy. But it shouldn't extend to the addresses of elected officials. Public access to home addresses of those who are elected to represent constituents may seem harmless, but in today's hyper-partisan times, elected officials are becoming targets of real-world threats and violence. Providing easy access to personal addresses and phone numbers in an era when doxxing and political extremism are commonplace is not a virtue of democracy — it's a security risk. In an effort to protect elected officials and their families, Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat from Miami and Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Republican from Lake Mary, have introduced Senate Bill 268. The bill would keep personal information of elected officials such as home addresses and phone numbers out of public records. The bill, which passed the Florida Senate with broad bipartisan support (34-2), shows a recognition by lawmakers that public service should not come at the cost of personal safety. This is not theoretical. During the committee meeting, both Democratic and Republican senators shared stories of being targeted. Then-Sen. Randy Fine, a Republican from Melbourne Beach who has since been elected to Congress, told the Miami Herald last month that two people have been arrested and imprisoned for threatening him and his family. 'We had to have law enforcement pull up to our house with sirens blaring and everything else,' said Fine. 'I got the joy of understanding what it's like to be important for a few days, as I couldn't go anywhere without a ton of security with me.' Sen. Barbara Sharief, who is a former Broward County mayor, said she had her home address published on a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated site. 'I was on three months' worth of security protection,' she told the Miami Herald. These experiences are chilling. Elected officials shouldn't have to go through things like that simply to serve the community. Some critics argue that there's a risk to transparency and accountability and if the bill becomes law, it could hamper public oversight. For example, if elected officials are allowed to keep their addresses secret, would they be able to run for office in a new district where they don't reside? Those concerns are not unreasonable. But that overlooks a fundamental principle of government. The government's duty is to protect its citizens and their rights — and that includes elected officials. SB 268 does not remove elected officials from public accountability. Rather, it shields them from intimidation. Elected officials will still be accountable if this bill is approved. Those who demand unlimited transparency in the name of accountability fail to recognize that privacy is not in opposition to accountability. Transparency has limits, and those limits should be drawn where they protect the basic safety and security of individuals who choose to serve. The threats against officials aren't just anecdotal but represent a dangerous trend in our increasingly divided society. When elected officials face intimidation, especially in their homes, we undermine the representative democracy we claim to cherish. Conservative principles have always long supported law and order, but when public servants live in fear, there can be no order. Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home was invaded and her husband bludgeoned, President Donald Trump was the subject of two apparent attempted assassinations, and, recently, there was the arson of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence. The sealing of public records in SB268 is not permanent. It would only apply while the individual holds office, and it wouldn't shield officials from questions about residency or redistricting. It would still list the city in which the elected official lives. The safety of our elected officials isn't about whether they are Republicans or Democrats. It's a commitment to ensuring public service doesn't come at the cost of safety. Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@
Miami Herald
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
‘Someone paid $47K to have me killed.' Should Florida lawmakers' addresses be secret?
State lawmakers are preparing to make the addresses and phone numbers of elected officials secret in what would be a sweeping change to the state's broad public records laws. Members of Congress, school board members, state legislators and other state and local officials — and their families — would have the option to have their personal information redacted from county and state records. The bill, SB 268, passed the Senate Wednesday with two Democrats voting against it. Its bill sponsor, Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami, said he expects it to pass the House, as well. Lawmakers have pointed to the need for more protection amid a toxic political environment. Senators recounted in committees their experiences with death threats and instances of round-the-clock police protection at their homes. But open government advocates say the bill could make it easier for local and state officials to live outside their districts — or redraw districts to favor one politician over another. If the bill passes, elected officials would be granted rights approaching those of police, judges and prosecutors. Once elected to office, mayors, property appraisers, city and county commissioners and other elected officials could have their primary house number and street name redacted from records. So could their spouses and adult children. The names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth of their minor children and where they go to school would also be exempt from public records. The exemption would expire when the elected official leaves office. 'No one needs to know where you and your family live,' Jones told senators Wednesday. 'It has nothing to do with government, nothing,' he added. 'All you need to know is where you can come to my office to see my staff, to see me.' Jones said he received death threats following his impassioned 2022 speech against the Parental Rights in Education bill, also known as 'don't say gay.' Other senators on both sides of the aisle recounted their own stories. Former Sen. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, who was elected to Congress last week, said two people have been arrested and imprisoned for threatening him and his family. 'We had to have law enforcement pull up to our house with sirens blaring and everything else,' Fine said last month. 'I got the joy of understanding what it's like to be important for a few days, as I couldn't go anywhere without a ton of security with me.' Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, said state police in 2020 pulled him out of a committee to alert him to the fact that 'someone had paid $47,000 to have me killed.' Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, said a man recently came to his home asking for him. 'It scared the heck out of my wife,' he said. Sen. Barbara Sharief, D-Miramar, said her home address was placed on a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated website. 'I was on three months' worth of security protection,' she said. Some of the heated political rhetoric was evident in Gov. Ron DeSantis' dispute with Republican legislative leaders over a special legislative session on immigration earlier this year. The state's agriculture commissioner, Wilton Simpson, who was on the other side of DeSantis, received death threats. Opponents of the bill have noted that lawmakers haven't produced any data about the number of threats they've received or whether that number is going up. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which can pursue charges against people who threaten legislators, did not respond to a request for data on lawmaker threats. Critics of the bill also note that there are numerous instances of politicians getting caught living outside their districts, making them ineligible to hold office. 'It undermines accountability in the sense that no longer would anyone be able to be sure that their legal representatives live in their districts,' said Bobby Block, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation. The organization advocates for open government. Abdelilah Skhir, a senior strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said the organization feared that records custodians would interpret the statute to redact more information than allowed. The organization asked senators to amend the bill to explicitly state that certain information in Florida's voter file, such as their precinct locations and the congressional districts they live in, must be public. If that information were redacted, it would be impossible to determine whether state and local officials were redrawing districts to favor one politician over another, Skhir said. 'Totally understand where they're coming from with wanting privacy and security,' Skhir said. 'But there's a balance they have to walk.'
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida could make elected officials' addresses and phone numbers secret
TALLAHASSEE — State lawmakers are preparing to make the addresses and phone numbers of elected officials secret in what would be a sweeping change to the state's broad public records laws. Members of Congress, school board members, state legislators and other state and local officials — and their families — would have the option to have their personal information redacted from county and state records. The bill, SB 268, passed the Senate Wednesday with two Democrats voting against it. Its bill sponsor, Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami, said he expects it to pass the House, as well. Lawmakers have pointed to the need for more protection amid a toxic political environment. Senators recounted in committees their experiences with death threats and instances of round-the-clock police protection at their homes. But open government advocates say the bill could make it easier for local and state officials to live outside their districts — or redraw districts to favor one politician over another. If the bill passes, elected officials would be granted rights approaching those of police, judges and prosecutors. Once elected to office, mayors, property appraisers, city and county commissioners and other elected officials could have their primary house number and street name redacted from records. So could their spouses and adult children. The names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth of their minor children and where they go to school would also be exempt from public records. The exemption would expire when the elected official leaves office. 'No one needs to know where you and your family live,' Jones told senators Wednesday. 'It has nothing to do with government, nothing,' he added. 'All you need to know is where you can come to my office to see my staff, to see me.' Jones said he received death threats following his impassioned 2022 speech against the Parental Rights in Education bill, also known as Don't Say Gay. Other senators on both sides of the aisle recounted their own stories. Former Sen. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, who was elected to Congress last week, said two people have been arrested and imprisoned for threatening him and his family. 'We had to have law enforcement pull up to our house with sirens blaring and everything else,' Fine said last month. 'I got the joy of understanding what it's like to be important for a few days, as I couldn't go anywhere without a ton of security with me.' Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, said state police in 2020 pulled him out of a committee to alert him to the fact that 'someone had paid $47,000 to have me killed.' Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, said a man recently came to his home asking for him. 'It scared the heck out of my wife,' he said. Sen. Barbara Sharief, D-Miramar, said her home address was placed on a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated website. 'I was on three months' worth of security protection,' she said. Some of the heated political rhetoric was evident in Gov. Ron DeSantis's dispute with Republican legislative leaders over a special legislative session on immigration earlier this year. The state's agriculture commissioner, Wilton Simpson, who was on the other side of DeSantis, received death threats. Opponents of the bill have noted that lawmakers haven't produced any data about the number of threats they've received or whether that number is going up. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which can pursue charges against people who threaten legislators, did not respond to a request for data on lawmaker threats. Critics of the bill also note that there are numerous instances of politicians getting caught living outside their districts, making them ineligible to hold office. 'It undermines accountability in the sense that no longer would anyone be able to be sure that their legal representatives live in their districts,' said Bobby Block, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation. The organization advocates for open government. Abdelilah Skhir, a senior strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said the organization feared that records custodians would interpret the statute to redact more information than allowed. The organization asked senators to amend the bill to explicitly state that certain information in Florida's voter file, such as their precinct locations and the congressional districts they live in, must be public. If that information were redacted, it would be impossible to determine whether state and local officials were redrawing districts to favor one politician over another, Skhir said. 'Totally understand where they're coming from with wanting privacy and security,' Skhir said. 'But there's a balance they have to walk.'
