The Florida Senate

1004.76  Florida Martin Luther King, Jr., Institute for Nonviolence.--

(1)  As used in this section:

(a)  "Board" means the advisory board of the institute.

(b)  "Institute" means the Florida Martin Luther King, Jr., Institute for Nonviolence.

(2)  There is hereby created the Florida Martin Luther King, Jr., Institute for Nonviolence to be established at Miami-Dade Community College. The institute shall have an advisory board consisting of 13 members as follows: the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Education, and 11 members to be appointed by the Governor, such members to represent the population of the state based on its ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic diversity. Of the members appointed by the Governor, one shall be a member of the Senate appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the President of the Senate; one shall be a member of the Senate appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the minority leader; one shall be a member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives; one shall be a member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the minority leader; and seven shall be members appointed by the Governor, no more than three of whom shall be members of the same political party. The following groups shall be represented by the seven members: the Florida Sheriffs Association; the Florida Association of Counties; the Florida League of Cities; state universities human services agencies; community relations or human relations councils; and youth. A chairperson shall be elected by the members and shall serve for a term of 3 years. Members of the board shall serve the following terms of office which shall be staggered:

(a)  A member of the Legislature appointed to the board shall serve for a single term not to exceed 5 years and shall serve as a member only while he or she is a member of the Legislature.

(b)  Of the seven members who are not members of the Legislature, three shall serve for terms of 4 years, two shall serve for terms of 3 years, and one shall serve for a term of 1 year. Thereafter, each member, except for a member appointed to fill an unexpired term, shall serve for a 5-year term. No member shall serve on the board for more than 10 years.

In the event of a vacancy occurring in the office of a member of the board by death, resignation, or otherwise, the Governor shall appoint a successor to serve for the balance of the unexpired term.

(3)(a)  The board shall provide for the holding of regular and special meetings. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business, and the acts of a majority of the members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be deemed to be the acts of the board.

(b)  An executive director shall be appointed by the board and shall be the chief administrative and operational officer of the board. The executive director shall direct and supervise administrative affairs and the general management of the board. The executive director may contract with or employ legal and technical experts and such other employees, permanent and temporary, as shall be authorized by the board.

(c)  Members of the board shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses in accordance with s. 112.061

(4)  The institute shall have the following powers and duties:

(a)  To conduct training, provide symposia, and develop continuing education and programs to promote skills in nonviolent conflict resolution for persons in government, private enterprise, community groups, and voluntary associations.

(b)  To enter into formal and informal relationships with other public or private institutions for purposes of fulfilling the goals of the institute and to ensure geographic dispersion of services to all regions of the state.

(c)  To establish a clearinghouse to provide materials, including publications, handbooks, training manuals, and audiovisual materials, on the programs, studies, research, training, and educational opportunities of the institute.

(d)  To adopt, amend, and alter bylaws not inconsistent with the laws of the state.

(e)  To charge and collect subscription and other participation costs and fees for its services, including publications and courses of study.

(f)  To receive and accept from any federal, state, or local agency grants, or advances for, or in aid of, the purposes of this act and to receive and accept contributions from any source of either money, property, labor, or other things of value, to be held, used, and applied for said purposes.

(g)  To do any and all lawful acts and things necessary or desirable to carry out the objectives and purposes of this act.

(5)  The institute may establish fellowships through the awarding of financial assistance to individuals and organizations to enable them to pursue scholarly inquiry and study other appropriate forms of strategies for peace and nonviolent conflict resolution.

History.--s. 227, ch. 2002-387.