A Florida bill that could allow agencies to withhold the names of police officers involved in use-of-force incidents resulting in death or great bodily harm has passed in the state Senate Criminal Justice Committee with little opposition. Companion legislation has also advanced in the state's House of Representatives.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Gruters (R–Sarasota), was introduced in response to a 2023 Florida Supreme Court ruling that the state's constitutional protections for alleged crime victims under the state's current Marsy's Law do not include a right to anonymity.
The court's opinion stemmed from a 2020 case involving two fatal police shootings in Tallahassee. Reporters sought the names of the officers involved, whose use of force was deemed justified, to enhance transparency and the public's trust in the department. But under Marsy's Law, these officers were considered victims, and departments were banned from disclosing "information or records that could be used to locate or harass the victim or the victim's family, or which could disclose confidential or privileged information of the victim."
