Personal identifying information of an injured or deceased employee; public records exemption.

(1) The personal identifying information of an injured or deceased employee which is contained in reports, notices, records, or supporting documentation held by the department pursuant to this chapter is confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

(a) As used in this section, the term “personal identifying information” means the injured or deceased employee’s name, date of birth, home address or mailing address, e-mail address, or telephone number.

(b) The department may disclose information made confidential and exempt under this section only:

1. To the injured employee, to the spouse or a dependent of the deceased employee, to the spouse or a dependent of the injured employee if authorized by the injured employee, or to the legal representative of the deceased employee’s estate;

2. To a party litigant, or his or her authorized representative, in matters pending before the Office of the Judges of Compensation Claims;

3. To a carrier or an employer for the purpose of investigating the compensability of a claim or for the purpose of administering its anti-fraud investigative unit established pursuant to s. 626.9891;

4. In an aggregate reporting format that does not reveal the personal identifying information of any employee;

5. Pursuant to a court order or subpoena;

6. To an agency for administering its anti-fraud investigative function or in the furtherance of the agency’s official duties and responsibilities; or

7. To a federal governmental entity in the furtherance of the entity’s official duties and responsibilities.

A carrier, employer, agency, or governmental entity receiving personal identifying information from the department shall maintain the confidential and exempt status of the information.

(c) This public records exemption applies to personal identifying information held by the department before, on, or after the effective date of this exemption.

(2) A person who willfully and knowingly discloses personal identifying information made confidential and exempt under this section to an unauthorized person or entity commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.