HB 0589, Engrossed 1 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Lee County School District;
3	requiring the Lee County School Board to submit to the
4	electors of the county school district in conjunction with
5	the 2004 general elections the question of whether the
6	district school board shall consist of five members, each
7	to be elected from a single-member residence area by
8	electors residing in that residence area only; providing an
9	exemption; providing for an earlier vote under certain
10	circumstances; providing for the expiration of the term of
11	current members under certain circumstances with staggered
12	terms thereafter; providing direction to the Supervisor of
13	Elections; providing for a referendum; providing a ballot
14	statement; providing for the district school board to draw
15	five single-member residence areas and to provide for
16	transition; providing for terms of office and staggering;
17	providing an effective date.
18
19	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21	Section 1. (1) The Lee County School Board shall submit
22	to the electors of the county school district for approval or
23	rejection at a referendum in conjunction with the 2004 general
24	election the question of whether the district school board shall
25	be composed of five members, each to be elected from a single-
26	member residence area by electors residing in the single-member
27	residence area only, notwithstanding the provisions of section
28	1001.36, section 1001.361, or section 1001.362, Florida
29	Statutes. If for any reason there is a countywide election prior
30	to the 2004 general election and 2004 primaries, the vote for
31	this act will occur on the earlier date. If the vote for this
32	act is prior to the qualifying period for the 2004 general
33	election, all school board seats will be up for election in the
34	year 2004 and staggered from that point forward.
35	(2) In accordance with section 101.161, Florida Statutes,
36	and subsection (1), the Supervisor of Elections of Lee County
37	shall place the title and substance of the referendum on the
38	ballot as follows:
39	ELECTION OF LEE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
40	TO PROVIDE FOR SINGLE-MEMBER REPRESENTATION
41	Shall the election of Lee County School Board members be changed
42	so that board members are elected by the electors living in
43	their districts, rather than countywide?
44	Yes
45	No
46	Section 2. If the electors approve such election of
47	district school board members, the five single-member residence
48	areas must be drawn by the district school board, and the
49	district school board shall provide for the orderly transition
50	to such election of district school board members in the general
51	election of 2006. All five school board seats will be up for
52	reelection in the general election of 2006 and staggered from
53	that date forward.
54	Section 3. This act shall take effect upon approval of a
55	majority vote of those qualified electors of Lee County voting
56	in a referendum to be held by the supervisor of elections in
57	conjunction with the next general, special, or other election,
58	exclusive of primaries, to be held in Lee County, except that
59	this section and section 1 shall take effect upon becoming a
60	law.