| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to Broward County; amending chapter 75- |
| 3 | 350, Laws of Florida, as amended by chapters 76-336, 77- |
| 4 | 507, and 81-349, Laws of Florida; revising provisions |
| 5 | relating to the governing of municipal elections in |
| 6 | Broward County; specifying the dates on which municipal |
| 7 | candidates shall file qualification papers and pay certain |
| 8 | fees with respect to certain elections; revising |
| 9 | provisions relating to the dates on which municipal |
| 10 | primary and general elections shall be held; authorizing |
| 11 | municipalities to extend or reduce terms of office for |
| 12 | certain purposes; authorizing the governing body of each |
| 13 | municipality to change the date of its municipal elections |
| 14 | by ordinance, subject to approval by referendum; requiring |
| 15 | the supervisor of elections to provide to each |
| 16 | municipality a schedule of fees and charges for all |
| 17 | municipal election services for the following calendar |
| 18 | year by a time certain; providing an effective date. |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Section 1. Chapter 75-350, Laws of Florida, as amended by |
| 23 | chapters 76-336, 77-507, and 81-349, Laws of Florida, is amended |
| 24 | to read: |
| 25 | Section 1. It is the intent of this act to provide for |
| 26 | uniform filing and election dates for all municipal elections in |
| 27 | Broward County. It is not the intent of this act to determine |
| 28 | the length of terms of municipal offices. |
| 29 | Section 2. For any municipal elections held in Broward |
| 30 | County in March of a calendar year, candidates for any municipal |
| 31 | office in such elections Broward County shall file such papers |
| 32 | and pay such fees as may be required by law with the applicable |
| 33 | municipal city clerk no earlier than noon on the first work day |
| 34 | in January nor later than noon on the 14th day following the |
| 35 | first work day in January of the calendar year in which the |
| 36 | election is to be held. For any municipal elections held in |
| 37 | Broward County in November of a calendar year, candidates for |
| 38 | office in such elections shall file such papers and pay such |
| 39 | fees as may be required by law with the applicable municipal |
| 40 | clerk no earlier than noon on the first work day in September |
| 41 | nor later than noon on the 14th day following the first work day |
| 42 | in September of the calendar year in which the election is to be |
| 43 | held. |
| 44 | Section 3. Any primary election relating to a municipal |
| 45 | office held in a municipality in Broward County shall be held on |
| 46 | the second 2nd Tuesday in of February of a calendar year or the |
| 47 | first Tuesday of October of any even-numbered calendar year and |
| 48 | all general elections relating to a municipal office held in a |
| 49 | municipality in Broward County shall be held on the second |
| 50 | Tuesday in March of a the calendar year or the first Tuesday in |
| 51 | November of any even numbered calendar year. |
| 52 | Section 4. In any primary election held in any race for |
| 53 | municipal offices in Broward County the manner and method by |
| 54 | which a slate of candidates is to be determined shall be as |
| 55 | provided by the Charter or Code of Ordinances of the |
| 56 | municipality conducting the primary election as provided herein. |
| 57 | In any general election in races for municipal offices in |
| 58 | Broward County, the candidate or candidates, depending upon the |
| 59 | number to be elected, receiving the highest number of votes in |
| 60 | the election shall be the winner. Such duly elected municipal |
| 61 | officers shall take office within fourteen (14) days after the |
| 62 | general election with the specific day to be decided by local |
| 63 | ordinance. |
| 64 | Section 5. In order to implement any change in the month |
| 65 | in which elections will be held, Broward County municipalities |
| 66 | may either extend or reduce terms of office of existing elected |
| 67 | officials for a period of up to eight (8) months. Initially any |
| 68 | municipal officer whose term of office expires subsequent to |
| 69 | July 1 in any calendar year shall stand for re-election in March |
| 70 | of the following calendar year and shall continue in office |
| 71 | until the election of his successor. Initially any municipal |
| 72 | officer whose term of office expires prior to and including July |
| 73 | 1 in any calendar year shall stand for re-election in March of |
| 74 | that calendar year. |
| 75 | Section 6. The governing body of each municipality in |
| 76 | Broward County may, at its discretion, amend its Charter to |
| 77 | change the date of its municipal elections in accordance with |
| 78 | this act by ordinance, subject to approval by referendum; |
| 79 | provided, however, that any change in election date will not be |
| 80 | effective until at least eighteen (18) months after the approval |
| 81 | of the ordinance by the municipality's governing body. The |
| 82 | provisions of section 6 shall apply only to the first election |
| 83 | for each office to be held under the provisions of the act. |
| 84 | Thereafter, the terms of all municipal offices shall correspond |
| 85 | to the dates provided pursuant to this act. |
| 86 | Section 7. All municipal elections shall be canvassed by |
| 87 | the county canvassing board with said board certifying the |
| 88 | results to each city clerk within five (5) days after the |
| 89 | election. |
| 90 | Section 8. The Broward Supervisor of Elections shall |
| 91 | provide to each Broward County municipality by the first work |
| 92 | day in April of the calendar year a schedule of fees and charges |
| 93 | for municipal election services for the following calendar year. |
| 94 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |