| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to Lake County; amending chapter 93-358, |
| 3 | Laws of Florida; revising provisions governing career |
| 4 | service with the Lake County Sheriff's Office; revising |
| 5 | definitions; deleting provisions relating to the |
| 6 | establishment of divisions within the office; providing |
| 7 | effect of voluntary and involuntary termination of |
| 8 | employment on career service status; authorizing demotion |
| 9 | of certain employees without cause; providing an effective |
| 10 | date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Chapter 93-358, Laws of Florida, is amended to |
| 15 | read: |
| 16 | Section 1. Applicability.--Except as otherwise provided |
| 17 | herein, the provisions of this act shall apply to all employees, |
| 18 | as hereinafter defined, of the Lake County Sheriff. The |
| 19 | provisions of this act shall not apply to the sheriff; or to |
| 20 | special deputy sheriffs appointed pursuant to section 30.09(4), |
| 21 | Florida Statutes; or to members of the sheriff's reserve, |
| 22 | auxiliary, posse, volunteers, and task force members, as may be |
| 23 | defined by the Criminal Justice Standards and Training |
| 24 | Commission. This act is not intended to grant collective |
| 25 | bargaining rights to employees of the Lake County Sheriff who do |
| 26 | not otherwise have those rights pursuant to law. |
| 27 | Section 2. Definitions.--As used in this act: |
| 28 | (1) "CAREER SERVICE EMPLOYEE" means an employee of the |
| 29 | Lake County Sheriff's Office who has satisfactorily completed 1 |
| 30 | year of continuous employment in any one division of the office, |
| 31 | and who is not on extended probation, and who is not a part- |
| 32 | time, temporary, or contractual employee. |
| 33 | (2) "CAREER SERVICE STATUS" means tenured employment with |
| 34 | the Lake County Sheriff's Office attained by a career service |
| 35 | employee. |
| 36 | (3) "OFFICE" means the Lake County Sheriff's Office. |
| 37 | (4) "DIVISION" means all divisions of the Lake County |
| 38 | Sheriff's Office the Enforcement Division or the Support |
| 39 | Division, as set forth in section 3. |
| 40 | (5) "EMPLOYEE" means any deputy sheriff and detention |
| 41 | deputy not otherwise excluded by this act and all full-time |
| 42 | employees of the Lake County Sheriff's Office. |
| 43 | (6) "EXTENDED PROBATION" means a period of time in excess |
| 44 | of 1 year in which a new employee is subject to evaluation in |
| 45 | order to ascertain the employee's fitness for employment by the |
| 46 | Lake County Sheriff's Office, not to exceed 6 months. |
| 47 | (7) "SHERIFF" means the Sheriff of Lake County. |
| 48 | (8) "FOR CAUSE" means termination, suspension, or demotion |
| 49 | of an employee for misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance, |
| 50 | which renders the continuance of the employee in his or her |
| 51 | position detrimental to the discipline or efficiency of the |
| 52 | office, as determined by the Sheriff of Lake County. |
| 53 | Section 3. Establishment of divisions.--There is hereby |
| 54 | established the following employment divisions within the Lake |
| 55 | County Sheriff's Office: |
| 56 | (1) The Enforcement Division, includes all commissioned |
| 57 | deputy sheriffs who hold valid and current certificates as law |
| 58 | enforcement officers issued by the Criminal Justice Standards |
| 59 | and Training Commission and who are covered by this act. |
| 60 | (2) The Support Division, includes all other employees of |
| 61 | the department covered by this act. |
| 62 | Section 3.4. Career service.-- |
| 63 | (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2), an |
| 64 | employee may be terminated by the Lake County Sheriff at any |
| 65 | time with or without cause unless the employee has attained and |
| 66 | holds career service status. All employees who have attained and |
| 67 | hold career service status may be terminated only for cause, as |
| 68 | herein defined. |
| 69 | (2) An employee who voluntarily terminates employment with |
| 70 | the Lake County Sheriff's Office or and who is involuntarily |
| 71 | terminated does not become reemployed with the Lake County |
| 72 | Sheriff's Office within 90 days ceases to have career service |
| 73 | status if again employed by the Lake County Sheriff's Office |
| 74 | until same is earned again. |
| 75 | Section 4.5. Termination, suspension, and demotion.--Any |
| 76 | employee of the office, whether having attained career service |
| 77 | status or not, may be terminated, suspended, demoted, or |
| 78 | reprimanded by the Lake County Sheriff at any time for cause, as |
| 79 | herein defined. |
| 80 | Section 5.6. Transition.--A newly elected or appointed |
| 81 | sheriff may demote without cause to the rank of lieutenant any |
| 82 | career service employee who holds the rank of undersheriff, |
| 83 | chief, chief deputy, major, captain, administrative assistant, |
| 84 | or general counsel legal advisor, or any equivalent rank, at the |
| 85 | time the newly elected or appointed sheriff takes office. |
| 86 | Members of the Senior Management Service class may be demoted to |
| 87 | a reduced civilian position and pay in a like manner. |
| 88 | Section 6.7. Promotions.--Notwithstanding anything |
| 89 | contained herein to the contrary, any career service employee |
| 90 | required to serve a probationary period attendant or incidental |
| 91 | to a promotion may be demoted with or without cause to the |
| 92 | employee's prior rank at any time during such probationary |
| 93 | period, but any such employee does not lose career service |
| 94 | status. |
| 95 | Section 7.8. Current employees.--Effective upon this act |
| 96 | becoming law, all current employees of the Lake County Sheriff |
| 97 | who have satisfactorily completed 1 year of continuous |
| 98 | employment in the Lake County Sheriff's Office and who are not |
| 99 | on extended probation shall be granted career service status. |
| 100 | All other employees shall attain career service status upon |
| 101 | reaching their 1 calendar year service anniversary date and |
| 102 | completing their probationary period. |
| 103 | Section 8.9. Administration.--The sheriff is hereby |
| 104 | empowered to adopt rules and regulations for the administration |
| 105 | and implementation of this act. |
| 106 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |