The Florida Senate

The following words as used in this act have the meanings set forth in the below subsections, unless a different meaning is required by the context:

A governmental unit shall be primarily responsible for the supervision and control of its property but may delegate to a custodian its use and immediate control and may require custody receipts. A governmental unit may assign to or withdraw from a custodian the custody of any of its property at any time; provided, that if the custodian is an officer elected by the people or appointed by the Governor, the property may not be withdrawn from the officer’s custody without his or her consent. Each custodian shall be responsible to the governmental unit for the safekeeping and proper use of the property entrusted to his or her care. If the custodian is not a bonded officer, the governmental unit may require from the custodian a bond conditioned upon such safekeeping and proper use. In each county the sheriff shall be the custodian of the property of the office of sheriff.

Whenever acquiring property, the governmental unit may pay the purchase price in full or may exchange property with the seller as a trade-in and apply the exchange allowance to the cost of the property acquired. If, whenever acquiring property, the governmental unit may best serve the interests of the county or district by outright sale of the property to be replaced, rather than by exchange as a trade-in, it may make the sale in a manner otherwise prescribed in this act for the disposal of property. The receipts from the sale may be treated as a current refund if the property to be acquired shall be contracted for within the same fiscal year of the governmental unit in which the property sold is disposed of.

A governmental unit shall have discretion to classify as surplus any of its property, which property is not otherwise lawfully disposed of, that is obsolete or the continued use of which is uneconomical or inefficient, or which serves no useful function. Within the reasonable exercise of its discretion and having consideration for the best interests of the county or district, the value and condition of property classified as surplus, and the probability of such property’s being desired by the prospective bidder or donee to whom offered, the governmental unit may offer surplus property to other governmental units in the county or district for sale or donation or may offer the property to private nonprofit agencies as defined in s. 273.01(3) by sale or donation. If the surplus property is offered for sale and no acceptable bid is received within a reasonable time, the governmental unit shall offer such property to such other governmental units or private nonprofit agencies as determined by the governmental units on the basis of the foregoing criteria. Such offer shall disclose the value and condition of the property. The best bid shall be accepted by the governmental unit offering such surplus property. The cost of transferring the property shall be paid by the governmental unit or the private nonprofit agency purchasing or receiving the donation of the surplus property.

Having consideration for the best interests of the county or district, a governmental unit’s property that is obsolete or the continued use of which is uneconomical or inefficient, or which serves no useful function, which property is not otherwise lawfully disposed of, may be disposed of for value to any person, or may be disposed of for value without bids to the state, to any governmental unit, or to any political subdivision as defined in s. 1.01, or if the property is without commercial value it may be donated, destroyed, or abandoned. The determination of property to be disposed of by a governmental unit pursuant to this section instead of pursuant to other provisions of law shall be at the election of such governmental unit in the reasonable exercise of its discretion. Property, the value of which the governmental unit estimates to be under $5,000, may be disposed of in the most efficient and cost-effective means as determined by the governmental unit. Any sale of property the value of which the governmental unit estimates to be $5,000 or more shall be sold only to the highest responsible bidder, or by public auction, after publication of notice not less than 1 week nor more than 2 weeks prior to sale in a newspaper having a general circulation in the county or district in which is located the official office of the governmental unit, and in additional newspapers if in the judgment of the governmental unit the best interests of the county or district will better be served by the additional notices; provided that nothing herein contained shall be construed to require the sheriff of a county to advertise the sale of miscellaneous contraband of an estimated value of less than $5,000.

Authority for the disposal of property shall be recorded in the minutes of the governmental unit. The disposal of property within the purview of s. 274.02 shall be recorded in the records required by that section.

Any person who violates any provision of this act or any rule prescribed pursuant to its authority shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

The provisions of this act shall be liberally interpreted to be cumulative and supplementary to any general, special or local law, heretofore or hereafter enacted.

This act shall govern the administration of the property of each governmental unit from the beginning of such governmental unit’s fiscal year next succeeding May 28, 1959.

Title to property purchased by county health departments established pursuant to the provisions of chapter 154, whether purchased with federal, state or county funds, or any combination thereof, shall be vested in the board of county commissioners of the county where said county health department is located and shall be accounted for in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

Every special district governed by the provisions of this act shall comply with the provisions of this chapter.