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