ENROLLED HB 1283 2003 Legislature
   
1 A bill to be entitled
2          An act relating to the Consolidated Government of the City
3    of Jacksonville, Duval County; amending ch. 92-341, Laws
4    of Florida, as amended; clarifying the right of the
5    council auditor to audit all entities within the
6    consolidated government and all independent agencies and
7    county officers; providing an effective date.
8         
9          Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10         
11          Section 1. Section 5.10 of Article 5 of chapter 92-341,
12    Laws of Florida, as amended, is amended to read:
13 ARTICLE 5. THE COUNCIL
14          Section 5.10. Auditor.--The council shall appoint an
15    auditor who shall be a certified public accountant or public
16    accountant, as defined under the laws of Florida governing the
17    practice of public accountancy in Florida. This auditor shall be
18    the council auditor and shall be the head of the council
19    auditor's office which shall be a department of the legislative
20    branch of the consolidated government. The auditor shall be
21    responsible for the performance of the duties provided in this
22    section and such other duties as may be assigned him by the
23    council. The council auditor may be removed by the council and
24    the removal must be concurred in by a majority of the entire
25    membership of the council. The auditor shall:
26          (a) Have the authority toexamine the accounting systems
27    used by all offices and departments of the consolidated
28    government and all commissions, entities, andindependent
29    agencies, and advise the council as to whether all such systems
30    provide for full disclosure of the financial results and
31    adequate information for the management needs and budgetary
32    requests of each such office, department, board, and agency, and
33    any commissions or entities, whether presently in existence or
34    hereinafter created by the mayor, council, or Legislature,
35    including, without limitation, the sheriff, property appraiser,
36    supervisor of elections, tax collector, clerk of the circuit
37    court, Duval County School Board, JEA, Jacksonville Port
38    Authority, Jacksonville Airport Authority, Jacksonville Police
39    and Fire Pension Board of Trustees, Jacksonville Economic
40    Development Commission, Jacksonville Transportation Authority,
41    Duval County Housing Finance Authority, Jacksonville Housing and
42    Community Development Commission, Housing Community Development
43    Finance Authority, and the Jacksonville Children’s Commission.
44          (b) Have the authority toconduct a continuous internal
45    audit of the fiscal operations of the consolidated government
46    and all commissions, entities, and independent agencies, whether
47    presently in existence or hereinafter created by the mayor,
48    council, or Legislature, including, without limitation, the
49    sheriff, property appraiser, supervisor of elections, tax
50    collector, clerk of the circuit court, Duval County School
51    Board, JEA, Jacksonville Port Authority, Jacksonville Airport
52    Authority, Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Board of
53    Trustees, Jacksonville Economic Development Commission,
54    Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Duval County Housing
55    Finance Authority, Jacksonville Housing and Community
56    Development Commission, Housing Community Development Finance
57    Authority, and the Jacksonville Children’s Commission.
58          (c) Submit such reports and financial statements to the
59    council as it may from time to time require.
60          (d) Render assistance to the independent auditor appointed
61    by the council under section 5.11 as agreed upon between him and
62    the independent auditor. This assistance shall be extended to
63    all special audits or limited examinations ordered by the
64    council under section 5.11.
65          (e) Do such other research as the council president, the
66    committee on finance or individual council member may request or
67    requireconcerning the financial or management affairs of the
68    consolidated government or of the agencies to which the council
69    makes miscellaneous appropriations, including any commissions or
70    entities, whether presently in existence or hereinafter created
71    by the mayor, council, or Legislature, including, without
72    limitation, the sheriff, property appraiser, supervisor of
73    elections, tax collector, clerk of the circuit court, Duval
74    County School Board, JEA, Jacksonville Port Authority,
75    Jacksonville Airport Authority, Jacksonville Police and Fire
76    Pension Board of Trustees, Jacksonville Economic Development
77    Commission, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Duval County
78    Housing Finance Authority, Jacksonville Housing and Community
79    Development Commission, Housing Community Development Finance
80    Authority, and the Jacksonville Children’s Commission.
81         
82          All nongovernmental agencies which receive funds from the City
83    of Jacksonville shall be subject to audit by the council
84    auditor's office in the event such audit is requested by the
85    council and the completion of this audit may be a condition
86    precedent to the release of appropriated funds to any such
87    nongovernmental agency. The term "nongovernmental agency" means
88    an agency that is not part of the legislative, executive, or
89    judicial branches of the government of the City of Jacksonville
90    or any of its independent agencies and includes agencies which
91    are private, public, or a combination of both.
92          Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.