Florida Senate - 2016                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS/CS/HB 599, 1st Eng.
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì887156CÎ887156                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                 Floor: WD/2R          .                                
             03/03/2016 11:18 AM       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       Senator Flores moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (909994) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Between lines 758 and 759
    5  insert:
    6         Section 11. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) and paragraph
    7  (b) of subsection (4) of section 125.901, Florida Statutes, are
    8  amended to read
    9         125.901 Children’s services; independent special district;
   10  council; powers, duties, and functions; public records
   11  exemption.—
   12         (1) Each county may by ordinance create an independent
   13  special district, as defined in ss. 189.012 and 200.001(8)(e),
   14  to provide funding for children’s services throughout the county
   15  in accordance with this section. The boundaries of such district
   16  shall be coterminous with the boundaries of the county. The
   17  county governing body shall obtain approval, by a majority vote
   18  of those electors voting on the question, to annually levy ad
   19  valorem taxes which shall not exceed the maximum millage rate
   20  authorized by this section. Any district created pursuant to the
   21  provisions of this subsection shall be required to levy and fix
   22  millage subject to the provisions of s. 200.065. Once such
   23  millage is approved by the electorate, the district shall not be
   24  required to seek approval of the electorate in future years to
   25  levy the previously approved millage.
   26         (b) However, any county as defined in s. 125.011(1) may
   27  instead have a governing body consisting of 33 members,
   28  including: the superintendent of schools or the superintendent’s
   29  designee; two representatives of public postsecondary education
   30  institutions located in the county; the county manager or the
   31  equivalent county officer; the district administrator from the
   32  appropriate district of the Department of Children and Families,
   33  or the administrator’s designee who is a member of the Senior
   34  Management Service or the Selected Exempt Service; the director
   35  of the county health department or the director’s designee; the
   36  state attorney for the county or the state attorney’s designee;
   37  the chief judge assigned to juvenile cases, or another juvenile
   38  judge who is the chief judge’s designee and who shall sit as a
   39  voting member of the board, except that the judge may not vote
   40  or participate in setting ad valorem taxes under this section;
   41  an individual who is selected by the board of the local United
   42  Way or its equivalent; a member of a locally recognized faith
   43  based coalition, selected by that coalition; a member of the
   44  local chamber of commerce, selected by that chamber or, if more
   45  than one chamber exists within the county, a person selected by
   46  a coalition of the local chambers; a member of the early
   47  learning coalition, selected by that coalition; a representative
   48  of a labor organization or union active in the county; a member
   49  of a local alliance or coalition engaged in cross-system
   50  planning for health and social service delivery in the county,
   51  selected by that alliance or coalition; a member of the local
   52  Parent-Teachers Association/Parent-Teacher-Student Association,
   53  selected by that association; a youth representative selected by
   54  the local school system’s student government; a local school
   55  board member appointed by the chair of the school board; the
   56  mayor of the county or the mayor’s designee; one member of the
   57  county governing body, appointed by the chair of that body; a
   58  member of the state Legislature who represents residents of the
   59  county, selected by the chair of the local legislative
   60  delegation; an elected official representing the residents of a
   61  municipality in the county, selected by the county municipal
   62  league; and 4 members-at-large, appointed to the council by the
   63  majority of sitting council members. The remaining 7 members
   64  shall be appointed by the Governor in accordance with procedures
   65  set forth in paragraph (a), except that the Governor may remove
   66  a member for cause or upon the written petition of the council.
   67  Appointments by the Governor must, to the extent reasonably
   68  possible, represent the geographic and demographic diversity of
   69  the population of the county. Members who are appointed to the
   70  council by reason of their position are not subject to the
   71  length of terms and limits on consecutive terms as provided in
   72  this section. The remaining appointed members of the governing
   73  body shall be appointed to serve 2-year terms, except that those
   74  members appointed by the Governor shall be appointed to serve 4
   75  year terms, and the youth representative and the legislative
   76  delegate shall be appointed to serve 1-year terms. A member may
   77  be reappointed; however, a member may not serve for more than
   78  three consecutive terms. A member is eligible to be appointed
   79  again after a 2-year hiatus from the council.
   80         (4)
   81         (b)1.a. Notwithstanding paragraph (a), the governing body
   82  of the county shall submit the question of retention or
   83  dissolution of a district with voter-approved taxing authority
   84  to the electorate in the general election according to the
   85  following schedule:
   86         (I) For a district in existence on July 1, 2010, and
   87  serving a county with a population of 400,000 or fewer persons
   88  as of that date............................................2014.
   89         (II) For a district in existence on July 1, 2010, and
   90  serving a county with a population of 2 million or more persons
   91  as of that date, unless the governing body of the county has
   92  previously submitted such question voluntarily to the electorate
   93  for a second time since 2005...............................2020.
   94         b. A referendum by the electorate on or after July 1, 2010,
   95  creating a new district with taxing authority may specify that
   96  the district is not subject to reauthorization or may specify
   97  the number of years for which the initial authorization shall
   98  remain effective. If the referendum does not prescribe terms of
   99  reauthorization, the governing body of the county shall submit
  100  the question of retention or dissolution of the district to the
  101  electorate in the general election 12 years after the initial
  102  authorization.
  103         2. The governing body of the district may specify, and
  104  submit to the governing body of the county no later than 9
  105  months before the scheduled election, that the district is not
  106  subsequently subject to reauthorization or may specify the
  107  number of years for which a reauthorization under this paragraph
  108  shall remain effective. If the governing body of the district
  109  makes such specification and submission, the governing body of
  110  the county shall include that information in the question
  111  submitted to the electorate. If the governing body of the
  112  district does not specify and submit such information, the
  113  governing body of the county shall resubmit the question of
  114  reauthorization to the electorate every 12 years after the year
  115  prescribed in subparagraph 1. The governing body of the district
  116  may recommend to the governing body of the county language for
  117  the question submitted to the electorate.
  118         3. Nothing in this paragraph limits the authority to
  119  dissolve a district as provided under paragraph (a).
  120         4. Nothing in this paragraph precludes the governing body
  121  of a district from requesting that the governing body of the
  122  county submit the question of retention or dissolution of a
  123  district with voter-approved taxing authority to the electorate
  124  at a date earlier than the year prescribed in subparagraph 1. If
  125  the governing body of the county accepts the request and submits
  126  the question to the electorate, the governing body satisfies the
  127  requirement of that subparagraph.
  128  
  129  If any district is dissolved pursuant to this subsection, each
  130  county must first obligate itself to assume the debts,
  131  liabilities, contracts, and outstanding obligations of the
  132  district within the total millage available to the county
  133  governing body for all county and municipal purposes as provided
  134  for under s. 9, Art. VII of the State Constitution. Any district
  135  may also be dissolved pursuant to part VII of chapter 189.
  136  
  137  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  138  And the title is amended as follows:
  139         Delete line 1265
  140  and insert:
  141         department to file a written notification; amending s.
  142         125.901, F.S.; revising requirements related to the
  143         governing body of certain counties; revising
  144         requirements related to a certain schedule by which
  145         the governing body of a county must submit certain
  146         information to the electorate in the general election;
  147         creating s.