Florida Senate - 2012 (NP) SB 1264
By Senator Dockery
15-00592-12 20121264__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the City of Lakeland, Polk County;
3 amending the Charter of the City of Lakeland;
4 clarifying residency, election, and term requirements
5 for city commissioners; providing an effective date.
6
7 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
8
9 Section 1. Section 10 of Division I of the Charter of the
10 City of Lakeland is amended to read:
11 Section 10. City Commission.
12
13 The city commission shall consist of seven (7) electors of
14 the city, including the mayor, elected at large, all of whom
15 shall hold office for four (4) years, or until their successors
16 take office, unless that term is altered due to a change in
17 municipal election dates authorized by this ordinance. One each
18 of the commissioners shall have been, for one (1) year prior to
19 taking office election, a resident of that part of said city
20 described as follows:
21
22 District A: Being that part of said city bounded on
23 the east by State Road 35 and on the south by the
24 Seaboard Coast Line Railroad tracks, extending
25 westerly and northerly to the city limits line;
26 District B: That part of said city lying east of State
27 Road 35 and north of Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
28 tracks, extending easterly and northerly to the city
29 limits line;
30 District C: That part of said city lying south of the
31 Seaboard Coast Line Railroad tracks and west of State
32 Roads 35 and 37 extending westerly and southerly to
33 the city limits line;
34 District D: That part of the city lying south of
35 Seaboard Coast Line Railroad tracks and east of State
36 Roads 35 and 37 extending easterly and southerly to
37 the city limits line of the City of Lakeland;
38
39 and two (2) commissioners shall be elected at large, without
40 regard to the district in which they may reside. Commissioners
41 elected from each of the districts as provided above shall
42 remain residents of those respective districts during their
43 terms of office. The mayor shall likewise be elected at large.
44 The present members of the city commission shall hold office for
45 the terms for which they are respectively elected, unless a
46 vacancy occurs by death, resignation or removal in accordance
47 with the terms of this charter and respective successors to the
48 present commissioners shall take office at the first city
49 commission meeting in January after their election, or as soon
50 thereafter as may be practicable.
51
52 The city commissioners elected from Districts C and D, the
53 at large commissioner, and the mayor, whose terms would
54 otherwise expire on the first regular city commission meeting in
55 the year 2005, shall have their terms respectively extended for
56 one (1) year with the election for those offices to be held on
57 November 1, 2005. In the event a run-off election is required,
58 it shall then be conducted on December 6, 2005. Those city
59 commissioners representing Districts District A and B, and the
60 at large commissioner whose term would have expired on the first
61 regular city commission meeting in the year 2007, shall have
62 their terms respectively extended for one (1) year. The election
63 for those offices shall be held November 6, 2007. In the event a
64 run-off is required for that election, the run-off election
65 shall be held on December 4, 2007. Those commissioners elected
66 pursuant to this section shall take office in accordance with
67 the provisions of this Charter.
68 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.