Senate Bill 1836

    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1836

    By Senator Brown-Waite





    10-806A-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to water management districts;

  3         creating s. 373.0835, F.S.; creating the

  4         Independent Public Fiscal Office to provide

  5         fiscal oversight of each water management

  6         district on behalf of the people of the state;

  7         providing protection for employees of the water

  8         management districts and independent

  9         contractors; providing an effective date.

10

11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

12

13         Section 1.  Section 373.0835, Florida Statutes, is

14  created to read:

15         373.0835 Independent Public Fiscal Office.--

16         (1) There is created the Independent Public Fiscal

17  Office as part of the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee. It

18  is the duty of the office to provide fiscal oversight of each

19  water management district on behalf of the people of the

20  state. The fiscal staff employed by the office shall work with

21  the employees of the water management districts, analyze the

22  programs and expenditures of each district, examine all

23  internal audit reports, and make recommendations to the

24  governing board of each district about programs and

25  expenditures that are unnecessary or exceed the district's

26  authority as delegated by the Legislature.

27         (2) The committee shall employ staff to work in the

28  main administrative office of each water management district

29  as follows:

30         (a) South Florida Water Management District, two

31  full-time employees.

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1836
    10-806A-98




  1         (b) Southwest Florida Water Management District, two

  2  full-time employees.

  3         (c) Northwest Florida Water Management District, one

  4  full-time employee.

  5         (d) Suwannee River Water Management District, one

  6  full-time employee.

  7         (e) St. Johns River Water Management District, one

  8  full-time employee.

  9         (3) Water management districts and independent

10  contractors for the districts are prohibited from taking

11  retaliatory action against any employee who discloses

12  information to an employee of the Independent Public Fiscal

13  Office about any program or expenditure that is unnecessary or

14  exceeds the water management district's authority as delegated

15  by the Legislature.

16         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

17  law.

18

19            *****************************************

20                          SENATE SUMMARY

21    Creates the Independent Public Fiscal Office in the Joint
      Legislative Auditing Committee to provide fiscal
22    oversight of each water management district. Directs the
      committee to employ staff to work in each district.
23    Provides protection from retaliation for district
      employees who provide information to fiscal office
24    employees.

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  2