Florida Senate - 2024 CS for CS for SB 1262
By the Committees on Rules; and Military and Veterans Affairs,
Space, and Domestic Security; and Senator Collins
595-03794-24 20241262c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to qualifications for county emergency
3 management directors; amending s. 252.38, F.S.;
4 requiring county emergency management directors to
5 meet specified qualifications; requiring such
6 directors to meet such qualifications by a specified
7 date; providing an effective date.
8
9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
12 252.38, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
13 252.38 Emergency management powers of political
14 subdivisions.—Safeguarding the life and property of its citizens
15 is an innate responsibility of the governing body of each
16 political subdivision of the state.
17 (1) COUNTIES.—
18 (b)1. Each county emergency management agency created and
19 established pursuant to ss. 252.31-252.90 shall have a director.
20 The director must meet the following minimum training and
21 education qualifications:
22 a. Fifty hours of training in business or public
23 administration, business or public management, or emergency
24 management or preparedness. A bachelor’s degree may be
25 substituted for this requirement.
26 b. Four years of verifiable experience in comprehensive
27 emergency management services, which includes improving
28 preparedness for emergency and disaster protection, prevention,
29 mitigation, response, and recovery, with direct supervisory
30 responsibility for responding to at least one emergency or
31 disaster.
32 (I) A master’s degree in emergency preparedness or
33 management, business or public administration, communications,
34 finance, homeland security, public health, criminal justice,
35 meteorology, or environmental science may be substituted for 2
36 years of experience required under this sub-subparagraph but not
37 for the required supervisory experience.
38 (II) A valid accreditation as a Certified Master Exercise
39 Practitioner through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as
40 a Certified Emergency Manager through the International
41 Association of Emergency Managers, or as a Florida Professional
42 Emergency Manager through the Florida Professional Emergency
43 Preparedness Association may be substituted for the requirements
44 of this sub-subparagraph. A certification used as substitution
45 for the requirements of this sub-subparagraph must be currently
46 maintained in good standing at all times until the actual time
47 and experience requirements satisfying this sub-subparagraph are
48 met by the appointee.
49 c. One hundred fifty hours in comprehensive emergency
50 management training provided through or approved by the Federal
51 Emergency Management Agency or its successor, including
52 completion of the following National Incident Management System
53 courses, or equivalent courses established by the Federal
54 Emergency Management Agency through the Emergency Management
55 Institute:
56 (I) ICS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System;
57 (II) ICS-200: Basic Incident Command System for Initial
58 Response;
59 (III) ICS-300: Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents;
60 (IV) ICS-400: Advanced ICS for Command and General Staff;
61 (V) IS-700: National Incident Management System, An
62 Introduction; and
63 (VI) IS-800: National Response Framework (NRF), An
64 Introduction.
65
66 All training required by this sub-subparagraph must have been
67 completed no earlier than 10 years preceding the date of
68 appointment, regardless of whether it is an initial appointment
69 or reappointment.
70 d. A valid driver license. If the license is not a Florida
71 driver license, the director must obtain a Florida driver
72 license within 30 days after being appointed as director.
73 2. established in a job description approved by the county.
74 The director shall be appointed by the board of county
75 commissioners or the chief administrative officer of the county,
76 as described in chapter 125 or the county charter, if
77 applicable, to serve at the pleasure of the appointing
78 authority, in conformance with applicable resolutions,
79 ordinances, and laws.
80 3. A county constitutional officer, or an employee of a
81 county constitutional officer, may be appointed as director
82 following prior notification to the division.
83 4. Each board of county commissioners shall promptly inform
84 the division of the appointment of the director and other
85 personnel.
86 5. Each director has direct responsibility for the
87 organization, administration, and operation of the county
88 emergency management agency. The director shall coordinate
89 emergency management activities, services, and programs within
90 the county and shall serve as liaison to the division and other
91 local emergency management agencies and organizations.
92 Section 2. A county emergency management director who does
93 not satisfy the training or certification requirements of
94 section 1 of this act as of July 1, 2024, shall have until June
95 30, 2026, to complete such requirements.
96 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.