The Florida Senate

295.07  Preference in appointment and retention.--

(1)  The state and its political subdivisions shall give preference in appointment and retention in positions of employment to:

(a)  Those disabled veterans:

1.  Who have served on active duty in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, have been separated therefrom under honorable conditions, and have established the present existence of a service-connected disability which is compensable under public laws administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or

2.  Who are receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension by reason of public laws administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.

(b)  The spouse of any person who has a total disability, permanent in nature, resulting from a service-connected disability and who, because of this disability, cannot qualify for employment, and the spouse of any person missing in action, captured in line of duty by a hostile force, or forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power.

(c)  A veteran of any war as defined in s. 1.01(14).

(d)  The unremarried widow or widower of a veteran who died of a service-connected disability.

(2)  The following positions shall be exempt from the provisions of this section:

(a)  Those positions that are exempt from the State Career Service System under s. 110.205(2); however, all positions under the University Support Personnel System of the State University System as well as all Career Service System positions under the State Community College System and the School for the Deaf and the Blind shall be included.

(b)  Those positions in political subdivisions of the state that are filled by officers elected by popular vote or persons appointed to fill vacancies in such offices and the personal secretary of each such officer, members of boards and commissions, persons employed on a temporary basis without benefits, city managers and county managers, heads of departments, management positions, policymaking positions, positions which require licensure as a physician, licensure as an osteopathic physician, licensure as a chiropractic physician, and positions which require that the employee be a member of The Florida Bar.

History.--s. 1, ch. 24201, 1947; s. 1, ch. 70-7; s. 1, ch. 77-422; s. 1, ch. 78-372; s. 1, ch. 80-370; s. 4, ch. 87-356; s. 1, ch. 89-323; s. 3, ch. 92-80.