HB 0589 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Lee County School District;
3	requiring the Lee County School Board to submit to the
4	electors of the county school district the question of
5	whether the district school board shall consist of five
6	members, each to be elected from a single-member residence
7	area by electors residing in that residence area only;
8	requiring the district school board to provide for the
9	orderly transition to such election of district school
10	board members, if approved; providing for the staggering
11	of district school board member terms; providing for a
12	referendum; providing a ballot statement; providing an
13	effective date.
14
15	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17	Section 1. (1) The Lee County School Board shall submit
18	to the electors of the county school district for approval or
19	rejection at a referendum in conjunction with the 2004 general
20	election the question of whether the district school board shall
21	be composed of five members, each to be elected from a single-
22	member residence area by electors residing in the single-member
23	residence area only, notwithstanding the provisions of section
24	1001.36, section 1001.361, or section 1001.362, Florida
25	Statutes.
26	(2) If the electors approve such election of district
27	school board members, the five single-member residence areas
28	must be drawn by the district school board, and the district
29	school board shall provide for the orderly transition to such
30	election of district school board members in the general
31	election of 2006. All five school board seats will be up for
32	reelection in the general election of 2006 and staggered from
33	that date forward. If for any reason there is a countywide
34	election prior to the 2004 general election and 2004 primaries,
35	the vote for this act will occur on the earlier date. If it is
36	prior to the qualifying period for the 2004 general election,
37	all school board seats will be up for election in the year 2004
38	and staggered from that point forward.
39	Section 2. In accordance with section 101.161, Florida
40	Statutes, and section 1 of this act, the Supervisor of Elections
41	of Lee County shall place the title and substance of the
42	referendum on the ballot as follows:
43	ELECTION OF LEE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
44	TO PROVIDE FOR SINGLE-MEMBER REPRESENTATION
45	Shall the election of Lee County School Board members be changed
46	so that board members are elected by the electors living in
47	their districts, rather than countywide?
48	Yes
49	No
50	Section 3. This act shall take effect upon approval of a
51	majority vote of those qualified electors of Lee County voting
52	in a referendum to be held by the supervisor of elections in
53	conjunction with the next primary, general, special, or other
54	election to be held in Lee County, except that this section
55	shall take effect upon becoming a law.