Florida Senate - 2011                                    SB 1474
       
       
       
       By Senator Rich
       
       
       
       
       34-01421A-11                                          20111474__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to elected officials; requiring the
    3         Commission on Ethics and the Elections Commission to
    4         notify the Chief Financial Officer or the governing
    5         body of a county, municipality, or special district,
    6         as appropriate, of any fines owed to it by a person
    7         who has been elected to a state, county, municipal, or
    8         special district office; requiring the Chief Financial
    9         Officer or the governing body of a county,
   10         municipality, or special district, as appropriate, to
   11         withhold salary payments it would otherwise make to an
   12         elected officeholder when that official owes a fine to
   13         the Commission on Ethics or the Elections Commission;
   14         authorizing the Chief Financial Officer and governing
   15         bodies to retain a portion of the payment to cover
   16         their administrative costs; providing an effective
   17         date.
   18  
   19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   20  
   21         Section 1. Payment of unpaid fines by elected officials.—
   22         (1) The Commission on Ethics and the Elections Commission
   23  shall notify the Chief Financial Officer or the governing body
   24  of a county, municipality, or special district, as appropriate,
   25  of any fines owed to the Commission on Ethics or the Elections
   26  Commission by a person who has been elected to a state, county,
   27  municipal, or special district office.
   28         (2) The Chief Financial Officer or the governing body of a
   29  county, municipality, or special district, as appropriate, shall
   30  withhold any salary payments, less applicable state and federal
   31  taxes, which it would otherwise pay to a person elected to a
   32  state, county, municipal, or special district office when that
   33  person owes a fine to the Commission on Ethics or to the
   34  Elections Commission. The salary payments withheld shall be
   35  remitted to the commission that is owed the fine until the fine
   36  is satisfied.
   37         (3) The Chief Financial Officer or the governing body of a
   38  county, municipality, or special district may retain up to 2
   39  percent of each payment made pursuant to this section to cover
   40  its administrative costs.
   41         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.