Latvala, $1 Billion, a Lobbyist and More Than a Few Social Security Nos.

Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, continues to push an amendment to SB 1208 that is raising alarms with consumers and identity theft watchdogs.

The amendment would continue to allow the controversial practice of releasing consumers Social Security numbers to a wide array of private firms and individuals, some of whom market abandoned property recovery services.

The firms are trying to get a slice of the more than $1 billion that currently resides in the Florida Bureau of Abandoned Property.

Latvalas passion for the issue may be linked to his close ties to lobbyist Sharon Merchant, who is pushing for the release of consumers' personal financial information. Yes, thats the same Merchant that Latvala campaigned hard for in her losing 2010 Florida Senate bid against surprise winner Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers.

Critics of Latvalas position cite a 2010 identity fraud survey report that found more than 11 million people became victims of identity fraud at a total cost of $54 billion up 37 percent since 2007.