Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a public records bill that could possibly result in the sealing of millions of criminal history records.

Scott, however, in his letter announcing his decision to sign the bill (SB 118) asserted that criminal records will remain open to the public because of the way the bill was worded. He said the provision was dependent on another bill that did not pass so “this section of the bill will not take effect.”

Open government advocates who called for a veto said Scott's interpretation is possible but that it's not clear-cut.