| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the City of Pensacola, Town of Century, |
| 3 | and Escambia County; providing definitions; creating the |
| 4 | Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission to develop |
| 5 | a consolidation plan or unification of services for the |
| 6 | City of Pensacola, Town of Century, and Escambia County; |
| 7 | providing for the membership of the commission; providing |
| 8 | for special advisory committees and membership; providing |
| 9 | for meetings; specifying sources of funding; providing for |
| 10 | private contributions; providing for clerical, technical, |
| 11 | and legal assistance; requiring a referendum for approval |
| 12 | of consolidation plan; providing for dissolution of the |
| 13 | commission and reversion of commission property to the |
| 14 | county; providing an effective date. |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 17 |
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| 18 | Section 1. Definitions.-- |
| 19 | (1) "Board" means the Board of County Commissioners of |
| 20 | Escambia County. |
| 21 | (2) "Commission" means the Escambia County Consolidation |
| 22 | Study Commission. |
| 23 | (3) "Legislative delegation" means those members of the |
| 24 | Legislature representing a district that encompasses any portion |
| 25 | of Escambia County. |
| 26 | Section 2. Creation.--There is hereby created in Escambia |
| 27 | County the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission to |
| 28 | study and develop a proposed consolidation plan for local |
| 29 | governments or unification of administrative services in the |
| 30 | City of Pensacola, the Town of Century, and Escambia County, in |
| 31 | whole or in part, and specify how such a consolidated government |
| 32 | or unification of services might operate. It is the intent of |
| 33 | the legislative delegation that the consolidation plan proposed |
| 34 | by the commission be submitted to the Escambia County |
| 35 | Commission, the City of Pensacola, and the Town of Century for |
| 36 | action before submission to the Escambia County Legislative |
| 37 | Delegation by January 15, 2010, for introduction in the next |
| 38 | regular session of the Legislature. A legislatively approved |
| 39 | plan shall be submitted to the qualified electors of Escambia |
| 40 | County for referendum to approve or reject the consolidation of |
| 41 | local governments or unification of administrative services for |
| 42 | the City of Pensacola, the Town of Century, and Escambia County. |
| 43 | Section 3. Membership.-- |
| 44 | (1) The membership of the commission may not exceed 25 |
| 45 | persons. The members of the commission shall be appointed by |
| 46 | July 1, 2009, as follows: |
| 47 | (a) The board shall appoint five members. Each |
| 48 | commissioner shall appoint one member who shall reside, work, or |
| 49 | own property in the appointing commissioner's district. |
| 50 | (b) The Mayor and the Town Council of the Town of Century |
| 51 | shall appoint one member who shall be a resident of the Town of |
| 52 | Century. |
| 53 | (c) The Pensacola City Council shall appoint two members |
| 54 | who shall be residents of the City of Pensacola. |
| 55 | (d) The following organizations may each appoint one |
| 56 | member to the commission: |
| 57 | 1. The Escambia County branch of the National Association |
| 58 | for the Advancement of Colored People. |
| 59 | 2. The Escambia County Taxpayers' Association. |
| 60 | 3. The League of Women Voters of Pensacola Bay Area. |
| 61 | 4. The Pensacola Young Professionals. |
| 62 | 5. The Pensacola Ministerial Alliance. |
| 63 | 6. The Escambia County Farm Bureau. |
| 64 | 7. The Home Builders Association of West Florida. |
| 65 | (e) The President of the University of West Florida shall |
| 66 | appoint one member who shall have expertise in local government |
| 67 | matters. |
| 68 | (f) Each of the following Escambia County constitutional |
| 69 | officers shall appoint one member: sheriff, tax collector, |
| 70 | property appraiser, clerk of court, and supervisor of elections. |
| 71 | (g) The Chief Judge of the First Judicial Circuit shall |
| 72 | appoint two members who shall be members of The Florida Bar and |
| 73 | have legal expertise in local government matters. |
| 74 | (h) The Escambia County School Board may appoint one |
| 75 | member by a majority vote of the board. |
| 76 | (i) The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority shall appoint |
| 77 | one member. |
| 78 | (2) There shall be created the Special Advisory Committee |
| 79 | on Public Safety to provide advice and counsel to the commission |
| 80 | on the integration of public safety services in the |
| 81 | consolidation plan. Such committee shall meet no later than 30 |
| 82 | days after the effective date of this act. The committee shall |
| 83 | elect a chairperson and report to the chairperson of the |
| 84 | commission. Each of the following may serve as a member of the |
| 85 | committee or appoint a representative: |
| 86 | 1. The Sheriff of Escambia County. |
| 87 | 2. The Chief of Police of the City of Pensacola. |
| 88 | 3. The Escambia County Community Corrections Bureau. |
| 89 | 4. The Escambia County Public Safety Bureau Chief. |
| 90 | 5. The Fire Chief of the City of Pensacola. |
| 91 | 6. The Fire Chief of Escambia County. |
| 92 | 7. The Escambia County Medical Director. |
| 93 | 8. The chairperson of the Escambia County Fire Services |
| 94 | Advisory Board. |
| 95 | 9. The Police Benevolent Association of the City of |
| 96 | Pensacola. |
| 97 | 10. The Police Benevolent Association of Escambia County. |
| 98 | 11. The Chapter of the International Association of |
| 99 | Firefighters of the City of Pensacola. |
| 100 | (3) There shall be created the Special Advisory Committee |
| 101 | on Economic Development to provide advice and counsel to the |
| 102 | commission. Each of the following may appoint a member to the |
| 103 | committee: |
| 104 | 1. Pensacola Junior College. |
| 105 | 2. The Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. |
| 106 | 3. The Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce. |
| 107 | 4. The Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board. |
| 108 | 5. The Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce. |
| 109 | 6. The local chapter of the Florida Black Chamber of |
| 110 | Commerce. |
| 111 | 7. Florida's Great Northwest. |
| 112 | 8. The Town of Century Chamber of Commerce. |
| 113 | 9. The Ruritan Club of Walnut Hill. |
| 114 | 10. The Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce. |
| 115 | (4) There shall be created the Special Advisory Committee |
| 116 | on Health Care to provide advice and counsel to the commission. |
| 117 | Each of the following may appoint a member to the committee: |
| 118 | 1. Baptist Health Care. |
| 119 | 2. Sacred Heart Health System. |
| 120 | 3. West Florida Hospital. |
| 121 | 4. The Escambia County Health Department. |
| 122 | 5. The Escambia Medical Society. |
| 123 | (5) Members shall serve without compensation. The failure |
| 124 | of any person or organization to appoint a member or the failure |
| 125 | of a member to serve shall not affect the validity of the |
| 126 | recommendations of the commission or any special advisory |
| 127 | committee. The appointing person or entity may replace any |
| 128 | member who resigns or fails to serve. Failure to attend any two |
| 129 | meetings without good cause constitutes failure to serve. A |
| 130 | member may not be an elected state, county, or municipal |
| 131 | official or a constitutional officer. A majority of the duly |
| 132 | appointed members of the commission shall constitute a quorum. |
| 133 | Section 4. Meetings, records, and reports.--All meetings |
| 134 | and records of the commission shall be public, and meetings |
| 135 | shall be held throughout Escambia County. The commission or a |
| 136 | committee may visit local governments outside Escambia County to |
| 137 | observe their operations. The commission shall elect a |
| 138 | chairperson at the first meeting and shall use Robert's Rules of |
| 139 | Order as its rules of procedure. The commission shall meet at |
| 140 | the call of the chairperson or upon the call of any three |
| 141 | members at least once a month from July 1, 2009, through January |
| 142 | 15, 2010. The commission shall compile and present by November |
| 143 | 30, 2009, a status report on its progress and tentative |
| 144 | findings. Such status report shall be presented to the board, |
| 145 | the City of Pensacola, the Town of Century, and the legislative |
| 146 | delegation. The commission shall submit a proposed consolidation |
| 147 | plan to the legislative delegation no later than January 15, |
| 148 | 2010. |
| 149 | Section 5. Funding and expenses.--Neither the state nor |
| 150 | any governmental entity of the state has an obligation to fund |
| 151 | the commission. However, the commission may solicit and receive |
| 152 | private contributions limited to $3,000 from any individual or |
| 153 | for-profit entity and may solicit and receive other public |
| 154 | contributions in support of its study, with accounting in the |
| 155 | same manner as for public funds. The board or other governmental |
| 156 | entities may furnish the commission with such services, office |
| 157 | space, and supplies as may be requested by the commission and |
| 158 | approved by the board or other governmental entities. |
| 159 | Section 6. Clerical, technical, and legal assistance.--The |
| 160 | City of Pensacola, Town of Century, and Escambia County shall |
| 161 | provide reasonable technical, legal, and clerical assistance to |
| 162 | the commission. |
| 163 | Section 7. Referendum.-- |
| 164 | (1) The consolidation of the governments of the City of |
| 165 | Pensacola, the Town of Century, and Escambia County shall become |
| 166 | effective only by approval of a majority vote of those electors |
| 167 | of Escambia County voting in a referendum. The referendum shall |
| 168 | be held, after approval of the consolidation plan by the |
| 169 | Legislature, at the next general election, in accordance with |
| 170 | the provisions of law relating to elections. |
| 171 | (2) In any referendum on consolidation, it shall be |
| 172 | necessary for a majority of the electors in Escambia County to |
| 173 | approve such consolidation, as well as a majority of electors in |
| 174 | the City of Pensacola, in order for the governments of those two |
| 175 | entities to be consolidated. |
| 176 | (3) In any referendum on consolidation, it shall be |
| 177 | necessary for a majority of the electors in Escambia County to |
| 178 | approve such consolidation, as well as a majority of electors in |
| 179 | the Town of Century, in order for the governments of those two |
| 180 | entities to be consolidated. |
| 181 | Section 8. Disposition of property.--The Escambia County |
| 182 | Consolidation Study Commission shall dissolve by July 1, 2010, |
| 183 | and all property of the commission shall thereupon become the |
| 184 | property of the county. |
| 185 | Section 9. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |