The Florida Senate

20.18  Department of Community Affairs.--There is created a Department of Community Affairs.

(1)  The head of the Department of Community Affairs is the Secretary of Community Affairs. The secretary shall be appointed by the Governor subject to confirmation by the Senate. The secretary shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor.

(2)  The following units of the Department of Community Affairs are established:

(a)  Division of Emergency Management. The division is a separate budget entity and is not subject to control, supervision, or direction by the Department of Community Affairs in any manner including, but not limited to, personnel, purchasing, transactions involving personal property, and budgetary matters. The division director shall be appointed by the Governor, shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor, and shall be the agency head of the division for all purposes. The division shall enter into a service agreement with the department for professional, technological, and administrative support services. The division shall collaborate and coordinate with the department on nonemergency response matters, including, but not limited to, disaster recovery programs, grant programs, mitigation programs, and emergency matters related to comprehensive plans.

(b)  Division of Housing and Community Development.

(c)  Division of Community Planning.

(3)  Unless otherwise provided by law, the Secretary of Community Affairs shall appoint the directors or executive directors of any commission or council assigned to the department, who shall serve at his or her pleasure as provided for division directors in s. 110.205 The appointment or termination by the secretary will be done with the advice and consent of the commission or council; and the director or executive director may employ, subject to departmental rules and procedures, such personnel as may be authorized and necessary.

(4)  In addition to its other powers, duties, and functions, the department shall, under the general supervision of the secretary and the Interdepartmental Coordinating Council on Community Services, assist and encourage the development of state programs by the various departments for the productive use of human resources, and the department shall work with other state agencies in order that together they might:

(a)  Effect the coordination, by the responsible agencies of the state, of the career and adult educational programs of the state in order to provide the maximum use and meaningful employment of persons completing courses of study from such programs;

(b)  Assist the ¹Department of Commerce in the development of employment opportunities; and

(c)  Improve the enforcement of special district reporting requirements and the communication among state agencies that receive mandatory reports from special districts.

(5)  The role of state government required by part I of chapter 421 (Housing Authorities Law), chapter 422 (Housing Cooperation Law), and chapter 423 (tax exemption of housing authorities) is the responsibility of the Department of Community Affairs; and the department is the agency of state government responsible for the state's role in housing and urban development.

(6)  The Office of Urban Opportunity is created within the Department of Community Affairs. The purpose of the office is to administer the Front Porch Florida initiative, a comprehensive, community-based urban core redevelopment program that enables urban core residents to craft solutions to the unique challenges of each designated community.

History.--s. 18, ch. 69-106; s. 2, ch. 71-137; ss. 2, 3, ch. 74-285; ss. 1, 2, ch. 74-307; s. 2, ch. 75-151; s. 7, ch. 75-210; s. 9, ch. 77-104; s. 1, ch. 77-330; s. 4, ch. 78-323; s. 5, ch. 79-7; s. 1, ch. 79-10; s. 1, ch. 79-65; s. 4, ch. 79-164; s. 47, ch. 79-190; s. 7, ch. 79-261; s. 2, ch. 80-61; ss. 1, 2, ch. 81-298; ss. 1, 4, ch. 82-46; s. 4, ch. 82-387; s. 2, ch. 83-55; s. 2, ch. 83-85; s. 3, ch. 83-174; s. 2, ch. 83-265; s. 2, ch. 84-241; s. 1, ch. 87-172; s. 32, ch. 88-376; s. 31, ch. 89-169; s. 1, ch. 91-113; s. 82, ch. 95-147; s. 1, ch. 98-176; s. 4, ch. 2000-342; s. 5, ch. 2004-243; s. 12, ch. 2004-357; s. 1, ch. 2006-70.

¹Note.--Section 20.17, which created the Department of Commerce, was repealed by s. 3, ch. 96-320.