Federal judge blocks Florida law requiring deeper financial disclosure for local officials

Candidates for Mayor and City Council seats throughout Florida won’t have to divulge more information about their finances to voters this election cycle after a federal judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a law requiring expanded disclosures.

Judge Melissa Damian of the Southern District Court of Florida ruled Monday that SB 774, passed by the Legislature last year, violates the First Amendment rights of candidates and local elected officials by compelling content-based speech. She issued a temporary injunction against the law.

Florida law requires legislators, Cabinet officials, and candidates for those positions to file a Form 6 financial disclosure every year, divulging their net worth, the value of their household goods, detailing their assets and liabilities over $1,000, and itemizing every source of income above $1,000.

Before SB 774 took effect in January, mayors and city council members were only required to file a Form 1, which required them to list significant sources of income, intangible personal property over $10,000 and real estate holdings and liabilities of more than $10,000.