The Florida Senate

The State Constitution contemplates the separation of powers within state government among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the government. The legislative branch has the broad purpose of determining policies and programs and reviewing program performance. The executive branch has the purpose of executing the programs and policies adopted by the Legislature and of making policy recommendations to the Legislature. The judicial branch has the purpose of determining the constitutional propriety of the policies and programs and of adjudicating any conflicts arising from the interpretation or application of the laws.

Within constitutional limitations, the agencies that compose the executive branch must be consolidated into no more than 25 departments, exclusive of those specifically provided for or authorized in the State Constitution, consistent with executive capacity to administer effectively at all levels. The agencies in the executive branch should be integrated into one of the departments of the executive branch to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness as intended by s. 6, Art. IV of the State Constitution.

Structural reorganization must be a continuing process through careful executive and legislative appraisal of the placement of proposed new programs and the coordination of existing programs in response to public needs.

The responsibility within the executive branch of government for the implementation of programs and policies must be clearly fixed and ascertainable.

Departments must be organized along functional or program lines.

The management and coordination of state services must be improved and overlapping activities eliminated.

When a reorganization of state government abolishes positions, the individuals affected, when otherwise qualified, must be given priority consideration for any new positions created by reorganization or for other vacant positions in state government.