---
type: "Bill"
title: "Public Records"
description: "Public Records; Prohibiting an agency that receives a request to inspect or copy a record from responding to such request by filing an action for declaratory relief against the requester, etc."
jurisdiction: "us/states/fl"
legislature: "Florida Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 400"
citation: "Florida SB 400 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
chapter_law: "2021-173"
primary_sponsors: ["Rodrigues"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 34
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2020-12-28"
last_action: "2021-07-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/a25d88e7-e20d-4c93-aa45-ecfc8497ace3"
source_url: "https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/400/ByCategory"
source_hash: "58da90e0635838c3563f54f58db6ea483df2db09919b52c5a0f0aed78b0cfaa3"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-fl"]
---

# Florida SB 400 (2021) — Public Records

Public Records; Prohibiting an agency that receives a request to inspect or copy a record from responding to such request by filing an action for declaratory relief against the requester, etc.

**Enacted** — Laws of Florida, Chapter 2021-173.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **S 400 Filed** (filed) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/400/BillText/Filed/HTML)
2. **S 400 c1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/400/BillText/c1/HTML)
3. **S 400 er** (enrolled) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/400/BillText/er/HTML)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Favorable — **11–0** (pass) · upper
- Favorable with Committee Substitute — **6–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage, Third Reading — **113–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable — **17–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Rodrigues — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-12-28** Filed `filing`
- **2021-01-11** Referred to Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Judiciary; Rules `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-15** On Committee agenda-- Governmental Oversight and Accountability, 01/27/21, 9:00 am, 37 Senate Building
- **2021-01-27** CS by Governmental Oversight and Accountability; YEAS 6 NAYS 0
- **2021-01-27** Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
- **2021-01-28** Now in Judiciary
- **2021-03-02** Introduced `introduction`
- **2021-03-02** CS by Governmental Oversight and Accountability read 1st time
- **2021-03-10** On Committee agenda-- Judiciary, 03/15/21, 3:30 pm, 412 Knott Building
- **2021-03-15** Favorable by Judiciary; YEAS 11 NAYS 0 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-16** Now in Rules
- **2021-04-01** On Committee agenda-- Rules, 04/06/21, 9:30 am, 412 Knott Building
- **2021-04-06** Favorable by- Rules; YEAS 17 NAYS 0 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-07** Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- **2021-04-09** Placed on Special Order Calendar, 04/14/21
- **2021-04-14** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-04-14** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-04-14** CS passed; YEAS 39 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2021-04-14** Immediately certified
- **2021-04-14** In Messages
- **2021-04-20** Bill referred to House Calendar
- **2021-04-20** Bill added to Special Order Calendar (4/23/2021)
- **2021-04-20** 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)
- **2021-04-23** Substituted for CS/HB 913
- **2021-04-23** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-04-23** Placed on 3rd reading
- **2021-04-23** Added to Third Reading Calendar
- **2021-04-26** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-04-26** CS passed; YEAS 113, NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2021-04-26** Ordered enrolled
- **2021-04-26** Message sent to senate
- **2021-06-28** Signed by Officers and presented to Governor
- **2021-06-29** Approved by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-07-06** Chapter No. 2021-173

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/a25d88e7-e20d-4c93-aa45-ecfc8497ace3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Florida legislature records).