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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to elections; amending s. 99.092, F.S.;

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requiring a write-in candidate who seeks to qualify for

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nomination or election to any office to pay a qualifying

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fee equal to a specified percentage of the annual salary

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for the office sought; providing an effective date.

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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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     Section 1.  Section 99.092, Florida Statutes, is amended to

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read:

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     99.092  Qualifying fee of candidate; notification of

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Department of State.--

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     (1)(a) Each person seeking to qualify for nomination or

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election to any office, except a person seeking to qualify by the

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petition process pursuant to s. 99.095 and except a person

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seeking to qualify as a write-in candidate, shall pay a

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qualifying fee, which shall consist of a filing fee and election

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assessment, to the officer with whom the person qualifies, and

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any party assessment levied, and shall attach the original or

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signed duplicate of the receipt for his or her party assessment

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or pay the same, in accordance with the provisions of s. 103.121,

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at the time of filing his or her other qualifying papers. The

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amount of the filing fee is 3 percent of the annual salary of the

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office. The amount of the election assessment is 1 percent of the

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annual salary of the office sought. The election assessment shall

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be deposited into the Elections Commission Trust Fund. The amount

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of the party assessment is 2 percent of the annual salary. The

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annual salary of the office for purposes of computing the filing

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fee, election assessment, and party assessment shall be computed

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by multiplying 12 times the monthly salary, excluding any special

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qualification pay, authorized for such office as of July 1

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immediately preceding the first day of qualifying.

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     (b) Each person seeking to qualify for nomination or

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election to any office as a write-in candidate, except a person

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seeking to qualify by the petition process pursuant to s. 99.095,

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shall pay a qualifying fee that is 3 percent of the annual salary

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for the office sought.

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     (c) A No qualifying fee may not shall be returned to the

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candidate unless the candidate withdraws his or her candidacy

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before the last date to qualify. If a candidate dies before prior

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to an election and has not withdrawn his or her candidacy before

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the last date to qualify, the candidate's qualifying fee shall be

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returned to his or her designated beneficiary, and, if the filing

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fee or any portion thereof has been transferred to the political

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party of the candidate, the Secretary of State shall direct the

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party to return that portion to the designated beneficiary of the

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candidate.

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     (2)  The supervisor of elections shall, immediately after

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the last day for qualifying, submit to the Department of State a

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list containing the names, party affiliations, and addresses of

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all candidates and the offices for which they qualified.

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     Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.