Approved Methods of Destruction
Rule 1B-24, Florida Administrative Code, sets forth the following requirements for destruction of public records:
1B-24.003(10) Agencies shall ensure that all destruction of records is conducted in a manner that safeguards the interests of the state and the safety, security, and privacy of individuals. In destroying records containing information that is confidential or exempt from disclosure, agencies shall employ destruction methods that prevent unauthorized access to or use of the information and ensure that the information cannot practicably be read, reconstructed, or recovered. The agency shall specify the manner of destruction of such records when documenting disposition. Where possible, recycling following destruction is encouraged.
(a) For paper records containing information that is confidential or exempt from disclosure, appropriate destruction methods include burning in an industrial incineration facility, pulping, pulverizing, shredding, or macerating. High wet strength paper, paper mylar, durable-medium paper substitute, or similar water repellent papers are not sufficiently destroyed by pulping and require other methods such as shredding or burning.
(b) For electronic records containing information that is confidential or exempt from disclosure, appropriate destruction methods include physical destruction of storage media such as by shredding, crushing, or incineration; high-level overwriting that renders the data unrecoverable; or degaussing/demagnetizing.
(c) For other non-paper media containing information that is confidential or exempt from disclosure, such as audio tape, video tape, microforms, photographic films, etc., appropriate destruction methods include pulverizing, shredding, and chemical decomposition/recycling.
(d) Agencies shall not bury confidential or exempt records since burying does not ensure complete destruction or unauthorized access.
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