TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A new bill at the Florida Capitol is taking aim at what one lawmaker calls “the state’s hidden data market.”
Representative Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R–Highland Beach) has filed HB 357, the Motor Vehicle Operator Privacy Act, which would ban the sale of driver-license information — a practice that’s generated nearly $490 million over the past decade, often without drivers’ knowledge or consent.
WATCH: Lawmaker says change could lower insurance rates over time
“Something's going on, and I know the state is very engaged in protecting our residents and our citizens,” Gossett-Seidman said in an interview. “I just think that we need to look into this and see if we can further the protections.”
Her research found Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) has long sold driver data, including names, addresses, birth dates, and license numbers, to data brokers, insurance companies, and even foreign-owned firms.
“I’ve had constituents tell me people came knocking at their door when they had a speeding ticket, knocking like that means they have their address. They have their information,” she said.
The issue first came to light in 2019, when Tampa Bay 28’s Adam Walser reported that a pair of Lakeland sisters began receiving robocalls, junk mail, and home solicitations shortly after getting state-issued IDs.
State
Florida DMV sells personal information to private companies
“It’s just wrong. They shouldn’t be doing that,” said one of the sisters, Sonia Arvin, at the time.
Walser’s investigation found the state had sold driver data to more than 30 private companies, making $77 million in 2017 alone. Some records went for as little as a penny each, and drivers had no way to opt out directly.
Florida Highway Safety does have a privacy statement online detailing provisions of the federal Driver Privacy Protection Act. It promises the rule “keeps your personal information private by limiting those who can have it.” Though the post also notes that under Florida law, “motor vehicle, driver license and vehicular crash record information are public information.”
“The state isn’t in the business of marketing people’s privacy,” Gossett-Seidman said.
Her bill proposes sweeping changes:
- Ban all commercial sales of driver information
- Prohibit foreign or foreign-owned entities from accessing driver data
- Require written consent for any non-law-enforcement data sharing
- Create annual oversight reports
- Establish penalties for violators
Gossett-Seidman also believes the change could lower insurance rates over time. She said the legislation would reorder the method of setting premiums based on risk profiles insurers create using obtained DMV information.
“It should force insurers to use actual and real-world driver data, instead of profiles based on demographic, and risk management statistics,” said the lawmaker.
Gossett-Seidman said she’s already spoken with House Speaker Danny Perez (R-Miami), the governor’s office, and DHSMV officials. She was hopeful the bill would get traction during the upcoming January session.
“Speaker Perez is very interested. I've spoken to the governor's office, and of course, the DHSMV is working very hard to get a hard look at this policy and how we can better protect people. It's just sort of fell through the cracks,” she said.
Still, the bill faces early hurdles. It lacks a Senate sponsor, and cutting off data sales could cost the state millions in revenue during an uncertain economic future.
Florida’s DHSMV has not yet commented on the proposed legislation.
