House Bill 1577er

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    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                                       HB 1577



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  2         An act relating to Pinellas County; amending

  3         chapter 80-590, Laws of Florida; amending the

  4         home rule charter of the county to delete the

  5         reference to general law as controlling the

  6         composition of the county commission;

  7         increasing the number of county commissioners

  8         from five to seven, with four of the members to

  9         be elected from single-member districts and the

10         three remaining members to be elected at large;

11         providing residency requirements for the

12         at-large members; providing for redistricting

13         in accordance with a constitutional provision,

14         to conform; providing for transition; providing

15         for a ballot title and question; providing

16         legislative intent; providing for a special

17         referendum; providing effective dates.

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

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21         Section 1.  Section 3.01 of Article III of the Home

22  Rule Charter for Pinellas County, Florida, as created by

23  section 1 of chapter 80-590, Laws of Florida, is amended to

24  read:

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26         ARTICLE III - LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

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28         Section 3.01  Board of County Commissioners

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30         The legislative body of county government shall be the

31  Board of County Commissioners in accordance with general law.


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    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                                       HB 1577



  1  The Board of County Commissioners shall be increased from five

  2  commissioners to seven commissioners, with four of the seven

  3  commissioners residing one in each of four county commission

  4  districts, the districts together covering the entire county

  5  and as nearly equal in population as practicable, and each

  6  commissioner being nominated and elected only by the qualified

  7  electors who reside in the same county commission district as

  8  the commissioner, and with three of the seven commissioners

  9  being nominated and elected at large.  Each of the three

10  at-large commissioners shall reside one in each of three

11  districts, the three districts together covering the entire

12  county and as nearly equal in population as practicable.

13  Initial redistricting shall be accomplished by the Board of

14  County Commissioners in accordance with Section 1(e) of

15  Article VIII of the Florida Constitution.  The composition,

16  election, term of office, and compensation of members shall

17  all be in accordance with general law.

18         Section 2.  The county commission district seats filled

19  in the 1998 election shall stay in effect until the normal

20  expiration date of that term of office. All commissioners

21  thereafter shall be elected for 4-year terms which shall be

22  staggered so that, alternately, the commissioners elected from

23  either the odd-numbered or even-numbered single-member

24  districts and one or two of the commissioners elected at large

25  from the entire county are elected every 2 years, except that

26  any commissioner may be elected to an initial term of less

27  than 4 years if necessary to achieve or maintain such system

28  of staggered terms.

29         Section 3.  At the special referendum called pursuant

30  to section 5, the ballot title and question shall be

31  substantially as follows:


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    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                                       HB 1577



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  2         BALLOT TITLE:  INCREASES COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO SEVEN;

  3  PROVIDES FOUR SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS AND THREE AT-LARGE

  4  DISTRICTS

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  6         BALLOT QUESTION:  Shall the Board of County

  7  Commissioners of Pinellas County, Florida, be increased from

  8  five to seven members, with four of the seven members to be

  9  elected to office from single-member districts by electors

10  residing in each of those districts only, and with the three

11  remaining members being elected by all electors within the

12  county at large, amending Section 3.01 of Article III of the

13  Home Rule Charter for Pinellas County, Florida?

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15         [] YES FOR APPROVAL

16         [] NO FOR REJECTION

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18         Section 4.  It is the intent of the Legislature by this

19  act to propose amendments to Section 3.01 of Article III of

20  the Home Rule Charter for Pinellas County, Florida, as it was

21  created by section 1 of chapter 80-590, Laws of Florida. It is

22  not the intent of the Legislature in any way to effectuate or

23  to interfere with the effectuation of any amendment that has

24  previously occurred outside the legislative process to the

25  extent that such amendment is ultimately deemed effective or

26  not effective.

27         Section 5.  This act shall take effect only upon its

28  approval by a majority vote of those qualified electors of

29  Pinellas County voting in a referendum election to be called

30  by the Board of County Commissioners of Pinellas County and to

31  be held prior to November 30, 1999, in accordance with the


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    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                                       HB 1577



  1  provisions of law relating to elections currently in force,

  2  except that this section and section 3 shall take effect upon

  3  this act becoming a law.

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