Florida Senate - 2010                                    SB 1922
       
       
       
       By Senator Crist
       
       
       
       
       12-01408B-10                                          20101922__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to Capital Collateral Regional
    3         Counsel; amending s. 27.701, F.S.; requiring that the
    4         Governor appoint each capital collateral regional
    5         counsel to a term of 4 years; removing a provision
    6         that prohibited a person appointed as a capital
    7         collateral regional counsel from running for or
    8         accepting an appointment to any state office for a
    9         specified period after leaving that office; providing
   10         an effective date.
   11  
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Section 27.701, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   15  read:
   16         27.701 Capital collateral regional counsel.—
   17         (1) There are created three regional offices of capital
   18  collateral counsel, which shall be located in a northern,
   19  middle, and southern region of the state. The northern region
   20  shall consist of the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Eighth, and
   21  Fourteenth Judicial Circuits; the middle region shall consist of
   22  the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth, Thirteenth,
   23  and Eighteenth Judicial Circuits; and the southern region shall
   24  consist of the Eleventh, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth,
   25  Nineteenth, and Twentieth Judicial Circuits. Each regional
   26  office shall be administered by a regional counsel. A regional
   27  counsel must be, and must have been for the preceding 5 years, a
   28  member in good standing of The Florida Bar or a similar
   29  organization in another state. Each capital collateral regional
   30  counsel shall be appointed by the Governor, and is subject to
   31  confirmation by the Senate. The Supreme Court Judicial
   32  Nominating Commission shall recommend to the Governor three
   33  qualified candidates for each appointment as regional counsel.
   34  The Governor shall appoint a regional counsel for each region
   35  from among the recommendations, or, if it is in the best
   36  interest of the fair administration of justice in capital cases,
   37  the Governor may reject the nominations and request submission
   38  of three new nominees by the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating
   39  Commission. Each capital collateral regional counsel shall be
   40  appointed to a term of 4 3 years. Vacancies in the office of
   41  capital collateral regional counsel shall be filled in the same
   42  manner as appointments. A person appointed as a regional counsel
   43  may not run for or accept appointment to any state office for 2
   44  years following vacation of office.
   45         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.