| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Bay County Law Library; codifying, |
| 3 | amending, reenacting, and repealing chapters 69-835, 75- |
| 4 | 328, 96-464, and 96-530, Laws of Florida, relating to the |
| 5 | Bay County Law Library; providing legislative intent; |
| 6 | providing a governing body; providing that the district is |
| 7 | a dependent district; providing a district charter; |
| 8 | eliminating obsolete provisions; providing an effective |
| 9 | date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | WHEREAS, the proper and expeditious administration of |
| 12 | justice in the courts of Bay County makes it desirable and |
| 13 | necessary that there be available to the county officials and |
| 14 | the judges and officers of said county's several courts a |
| 15 | central and adequate law library located in Bay County, and |
| 16 | WHEREAS, the establishment and maintenance of such central |
| 17 | law library is a public need and serves a general county |
| 18 | purpose. The library, under the direction of a library board |
| 19 | created by this act, will be maintained and operated under such |
| 20 | rules and regulations as the law library board shall from time |
| 21 | to time prescribe, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 22 |
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| 23 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 24 |
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| 25 | Section 1. Pursuant to section 189.429, Florida Statutes, |
| 26 | this act constitutes the codification of all special acts |
| 27 | relating to the Bay County Law Library. It is the intent of the |
| 28 | Legislature in enacting this law to provide a single, |
| 29 | comprehensive special act charter for the district, including |
| 30 | all current legislative authority granted to the district by its |
| 31 | several legislative enactments and any additional authority |
| 32 | granted by this act. |
| 33 | Section 2. Chapters 69-835, 75-328, 96-464, and 96-530, |
| 34 | Laws of Florida, are codified, reenacted, amended, and repealed |
| 35 | as herein provided. |
| 36 | Section 3. This act may be cited as the "Bay County Law |
| 37 | Library Act." |
| 38 | Section 4. The charter for the Bay County Law Library is |
| 39 | re-created and reenacted to read: |
| 40 | Section 1. The Bay County Law Library is created and |
| 41 | established as a dependent special district in Bay County for |
| 42 | the purposes of providing a central, adequate law library for |
| 43 | the use of county officials, judges, officers of the several |
| 44 | courts of Bay County, and the citizens of Bay County. The |
| 45 | library is to be operated by a library board. The board shall |
| 46 | operate and maintain the library under rules and regulations as |
| 47 | it shall from time to time prescribe. |
| 48 | Section 2. (1) The governing body of the Bay County Law |
| 49 | Library is created, to be known as the "Bay County Law Library |
| 50 | Board," and shall be composed of three practicing members of the |
| 51 | Bay County bar association who shall be appointed by the Bay |
| 52 | County Board of County Commissioners for terms of 4 years each, |
| 53 | a judge of the fourteenth judicial circuit court residing in Bay |
| 54 | County, and a county judge of Bay County, and their successors |
| 55 | in office. The members of the board shall meet within 30 days |
| 56 | after their appointment and quarterly thereafter. Members shall |
| 57 | elect one member chair, one member vice chair, and one member |
| 58 | secretary/treasurer. Three members of the board shall constitute |
| 59 | a quorum. Vacancies occurring on the board shall be filled by |
| 60 | appointment by the Bay County Board of County Commissioners for |
| 61 | the unexpired portion of the term. The library board shall have |
| 62 | full power to purchase, or acquire by gift, books, library |
| 63 | equipment, and supplies on time payments or for cash and to |
| 64 | enter into binding contracts for the purchase thereof. The board |
| 65 | is authorized to expend moneys to reimburse Bay County for all |
| 66 | library personnel expenses. The board is authorized to |
| 67 | promulgate and adopt all rules and regulations for the governing |
| 68 | of the library. |
| 69 | (2) All meetings shall be open to the public and conducted |
| 70 | in accordance with chapter 286, Florida Statutes. Minutes of the |
| 71 | meetings shall be recorded and shall be signed by the chair or, |
| 72 | in his or her absence, by the vice chair. |
| 73 | Section 3. The Bay County Commissioners and the Bay County |
| 74 | Law Library Board as established hereby shall, jointly and |
| 75 | severally, have the right to acquire and provide for the |
| 76 | maintenance and operation of the law library from existing |
| 77 | facilities or by establishing new, independent facilities, and |
| 78 | for such purposes shall jointly and severally have the right to |
| 79 | acquire real and personal properties and to borrow and encumber |
| 80 | moneys for the purpose of financing same. |
| 81 | Section 4. The law library hereby created, established, |
| 82 | and organized in conformity with the provisions of its |
| 83 | legislative acts shall belong to and be the property of the Bay |
| 84 | County Board of County Commissioners. |
| 85 | Section 5. The designated chair of the law library board |
| 86 | shall provide annual reports to the Bay County Board of County |
| 87 | Commissioners giving such statistics and other information as |
| 88 | may be requested by the Board of County Commissioners. |
| 89 | Section 6. No profit from the operation of the library or |
| 90 | its facilities herein described shall inure to Bay County or any |
| 91 | person, firm, association, or corporation or other |
| 92 | organizations. |
| 93 | Section 7. All funds allocated for the use of the law |
| 94 | library or moneys donated shall be expended by the law library |
| 95 | board and only for the purpose of maintaining and operating the |
| 96 | law library. |
| 97 | Section 5. Chapters 69-835, 75-328, 96-464, and 96-530, |
| 98 | Laws of Florida, are repealed. |
| 99 | Section 6. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |