TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida officials say hackers accessed the state's driver database through a Plant City police employee's login, renewing a Republican lawmaker's push for stronger safeguards and limits on driver-data sales.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said it learned of the breach Sept. 4 and quickly contained it. In a Sept. 11 statement, the agency attributed the intrusion to an international cybercriminal organization and said the employee's credentials had been improperly stored on a personal electronic device.
WATCH BELOW: Fla. driver database hack renews push for data privacy protections
The statement did not disclose how many records were accessed or precisely what information was exposed. The department said it notified the attorney general's office and is working with the Florida Digital Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as the criminal investigation continues.
For state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach, the breach adds urgency to an effort to change how Florida handles motorists' information.
"We should be able to own our own data. And at this point, we do not," she said.
Gossett-Seidman wants agencies and businesses handling driver information to strengthen their safeguards. Her legislative push also addresses a separate practice from the hack: the legal sale and sharing of driver data.
She wants an opt-out allowing drivers to block certain third-party sales while preserving access for legitimate purposes, including law enforcement, insurance and vehicle recalls.
Her concern is what happens after information leaves the state's hands.
"Once it leaves DMV and LexisNexis or Experian or your own insurance company, you do not have any control," she said.
Questions about those sales predate the latest breach.
A 2019 investigation by Scripps reporter Adam Walser found Florida had sold information about drivers and state ID cardholders to more than 30 private companies. The sales generated more than $77 million in fiscal 2017 alone.
Walser spoke with Lakeland resident Sonia Arvin, who said her sister began receiving robocalls, direct-mail offers and visits from salespeople after obtaining a Florida ID. Arvin blamed the DMV for the solicitations.
"Even if it's a public record in Florida — if we tell them we want it private, it should be kept private," Arvin said at the time.
In response to that investigation, the state said companies buying the information were prohibited from using it for marketing. It also said it had stopped selling data to three companies since 2017 because of misuse.
Gossett-Seidman's earlier privacy proposal, HB 357, was filed in November 2025 for the 2026 legislative session. It sought restrictions on selling or sharing certain driver information with third-party companies, foreign countries of concern and foreign principals, along with penalties for misuse.
The House bill died in the Government Operations Subcommittee in March. An identical Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Alexis Calatayud also died in committee.
Gossett-Seidman said she has discussed another attempt with House leaders and Sen. Harrell and is hopeful the renewed attention to data privacy will help the proposal advance.
"I know the genie's out of the bottle, but we can collect the bottles and see what we can do to put part of the genie back in," she said.
Her next opportunity comes when Florida's regular legislative session begins March 2, 2027.
