County commission expression boundaries teed up in Florida Property

TALLAHASSEE – A invoice calling for time period limitations for county commissioners throughout the state is headed to the full Florida House.

The Residence State Affairs Committee on Wednesday voted 12-6 on a revised proposal (HB 57) that would call for most counties to impose 8-12 months time period restrictions for county commissioners, aligning the proposal with the Senate version (SB 438). The Residence monthly bill had previously termed for 12-yr phrase boundaries.

The condition Constitution addresses the construction of county commissions. It sets four-yr conditions for commissioners but does not area limitations on the quantity of phrases. Eight of Florida’s 67 counties have 8-year limits for commissioners.

Below the Property monthly bill, voters in 3 other counties that have 12-calendar year limitations on county commissioners Broward, Lee, and Polk would be questioned to approve the lessen limit in November. Bob McKee, deputy director of general public policy for the Florida Affiliation of Counties, reported community voters must be allowed to choose if they want to limit commissioners’ conditions, somewhat than imposing limits by means of point out law.

“You just adopted an modification that provides 3 counties the capacity to vote, but for the rest of the counties it is really an act of fiat that requires spot,” McKee stated.

Republican invoice sponsor Rep. Michelle Salzman rejected requests to have voters through the state decide on the limits.

“I actually believe that we have all been elected by our area communities to appear below and depict their voice,” Salzman mentioned. “And we know that in their voices, they want expression limits. So, to set that on the ballot as a statewide initiative would, in my feeling, be a squander of authorities and group sources.”

The Senate model of the invoice was scheduled Wednesday to go in advance of the Senate Rules Committee, but it was postponed. For the duration of the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers accepted imposing eight-year expression limits on school board customers, down from former 12-yr limits.