Florida Statutes § 943.68 — Transportation and protective services.
AI-assisted research summary: The department must provide and maintain security for the Governor, the Governor’s immediate family, and the Governor’s office, mansion, and grounds, and it must also report certain services by August 15 each year.
943.68 Transportation and protective services.—(1) The department shall provide and maintain the security of the Governor, the Governor’s immediate family, and the Governor’s office and mansion and the grounds thereof. (2) The department shall employ such personnel as may be necessary to carry out this responsibility, including uniformed and nonuniformed officers or agents who shall have authority to bear arms and make arrests, with or without warrant, for violations of any of the criminal laws of the state, under the same terms and conditions as investigative personnel of the department, and who shall be considered peace officers for all purposes, including, but not limited to, the privileges, protections, and benefits of ss. 112.19, 121.051, 122.34, and 870.05. (3) The executive director shall assign agents for the performance of the duties prescribed in this section. The assignment of such agents shall be subject to continuing approval of the Governor. Upon request of the Governor, the executive director shall reassign an agent from continued performance of such duties. The executive director may authorize the Director of Capitol Police to exercise the authority provided in this subsection. (4) Per diem and subsistence allowance for security personnel traveling with the Governor, the Governor’s family, or others as authorized by this section away from Tallahassee shall be computed by payment of a sum up to the amounts permitted in s. 112.061 for meals, plus actual expenses for lodging to be substantiated by paid bills therefor. (5) The department is authorized to provide security or transportation to visiting governors and their families upon request by the Governor. (6) The department shall provide security or transportation services to other persons when requested by the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a member of the Cabinet, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, or the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, subject to certification by the requesting party that such services are in the best interest of the state. The requesting party may delegate certification authority to the executive director of the department. The requesting party shall limit such services to persons:(a) Who are visiting the state; for whom such services are requested by the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a member of the Cabinet, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, or the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; and for whom the primary purpose of the visit is for a significant public purpose; or (b) For whom the failure to provide security or transportation could result in a clear and present danger to the personal safety of such persons or to the safety of other persons or property within this state or could result in public embarrassment to the state. (7) The department is authorized to coordinate transportation and protective services provided under subsections (1), (5), and (6) with other law enforcement agencies and may request the assistance of other law enforcement agencies to carry out the duties required by subsections (1), (5), and (6). The other law enforcement agencies of the state are authorized to provide such assistance as may be requested by the department under this subsection. (8) The department shall coordinate all protective services with the United States Department of State and the United States Secret Service when requested to do so by such agencies or by the Governor or a member of the Cabinet. (9) The department shall submit a report each August 15 to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Cabinet detailing all transportation and protective services provided under subsections (1), (5), and (6) within the preceding fiscal year. Each report shall include a detailed accounting of the cost of such transportation and protective services, including the names of persons provided such services and the nature of state business performed. (10)(a) Records held by a law enforcement agency relating to security or transportation services provided under subsection (1), subsection (5), or subsection (6) are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. This exemption applies to records held by a law enforcement agency before, on, or after May 11, 2023. (b) This subsection is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2028, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.