| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to Baker County; specifying rights of |
| 3 | certain employees and appointees of the Baker County |
| 4 | Sheriff; providing applicability; providing definitions; |
| 5 | providing for career service status; providing proceedings |
| 6 | and provisions with respect to transition between |
| 7 | administrations; providing rulemaking authority for |
| 8 | purposes of implementation and administration; providing |
| 9 | an effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Section 1. Employees and appointees of the Baker County |
| 14 | Sheriff; applicability; definitions; career service status; |
| 15 | transition; implementation and administration.-- |
| 16 | (1) APPLICABILITY.--This act applies to all certified and |
| 17 | noncertified persons appointed or employed by the Baker County |
| 18 | Sheriff, with the following exceptions: |
| 19 | (a) Special deputy sheriffs appointed under section |
| 20 | 30.09(4), Florida Statutes. |
| 21 | (b) Members of a sheriff's posse or reserve unit. |
| 22 | (c) Part-time appointees and employees, whether |
| 23 | compensated or not, who are scheduled to work less than 40 hours |
| 24 | per week. |
| 25 | (d) Independent contractors, temporary employees, or |
| 26 | contract employees. |
| 27 | (e) Persons who are appointed or employed pursuant to a |
| 28 | grant whose continued existence or funding is subject to the |
| 29 | expiration or withdrawal of the grant provider. |
| 30 | (2) DEFINITIONS.-- |
| 31 | (a) "Appointee" means that person selected by the sheriff |
| 32 | to serve in the position of deputy sheriff or correctional |
| 33 | officer who is a certified officer within the meaning of chapter |
| 34 | 943, Florida Statutes. For the purposes of this act, "appointee" |
| 35 | and "employee" are synonymous and any derivative of "employee" |
| 36 | refers to the persons to whom this act applies. |
| 37 | (b) "Employee" means any person employed by the sheriff |
| 38 | for a position that does not require certification under chapter |
| 39 | 943, Florida Statutes. |
| 40 | (c) "Probationary period" means 6 months of conditional |
| 41 | employment or appointment commencing on the date of actual work |
| 42 | in the position to which promoted. |
| 43 | (d) "Reemployment" means reappointment or the reemployment |
| 44 | of a person who was previously an appointee or employee of the |
| 45 | Office of the Sheriff. |
| 46 | (3) CAREER SERVICE STATUS.-- |
| 47 | (a) After an employee or appointee of the sheriff to whom |
| 48 | this act applies has completed the initial or extended |
| 49 | probationary period, such person shall be considered to have |
| 50 | attained career service status in the Office of the Sheriff. If |
| 51 | such person is reemployed at a later date, the person shall be |
| 52 | required to complete the probationary period again before |
| 53 | becoming eligible for any rights under this act. |
| 54 | (b) After an employee or appointee is promoted to a higher |
| 55 | rank or position having a greater pay rate, such person shall be |
| 56 | considered to have attained career service status in the |
| 57 | position to which promoted after completing 6 months of |
| 58 | continuous service in that position. |
| 59 | (4) TRANSITION.--When a newly elected or appointed sheriff |
| 60 | assumes office, all career service status appointees and |
| 61 | employees shall remain employees of the new administration. |
| 62 | (a) The new sheriff may only reduce appointees one rank |
| 63 | below the rank held on the day before the new sheriff assumes |
| 64 | office if such rank was held continuously for the prior 6 months |
| 65 | of employment. |
| 66 | (b) The new sheriff may assign the civilian appointees and |
| 67 | sheriff's secretary to the next highest position classification. |
| 68 | (c) The salary of any displaced officer or person may not |
| 69 | be reduced more than 5 percent. |
| 70 | (5) IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION.--The sheriff may |
| 71 | adopt such rules as are necessary for the implementation and |
| 72 | administration of this act; however, nothing in this act shall |
| 73 | be construed as affecting the budget-making powers of the Board |
| 74 | of County Commissioners of Baker County. |
| 75 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |