A Tampa area legislator wants websites to delete arrest photos if the person is later found not guilty or if the charges are dropped.
Rep. Carl Zimmerman, a democrat from Palm Harbor, filed a bill that requires all websites to delete arrest photos — or “mugshots” as they are often called — within 15 days of being notified that the charges did not result in a conviction.
The bill (HB 677) would subject the website operator to fines and even a defamation lawsuit if they did not comply with the request. The website could not charge anything to remove the photo.