Fla. Senators Cut Private Right from Privacy Bill

The Florida Senate removed a private right of action in the House’s privacy bill (HB-969) by adopting by voice an amendment by Sen. Jennifer Bradley (R) that effectively replaced the House bill with the Senate’s version (SB-1734). The proposed law would be enforced entirely by the Florida attorney general, Bradley said on the livestreamed Senate floor session Wednesday. Today’s internet is a “surveillance economy,” she said. "In a perfect world, the federal government would act.” The Senate teed up a vote by placing HB-969 on third reading, but senators didn’t vote before our deadline. HB-969 sponsor Rep. Fiona McFarland (D) will take "a close look" at Senate language, her aide said. Bradley’s amendment includes “changes fought for by the larger business community in Florida,” including “more favorable definitions of selling and sharing data” and removing the private right, blogged McGuireWoods Consulting.