Florida Senate - 2014                      CS for CS for SB 1474
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Community Affairs; and Ethics and
       Elections; and Senator Abruzzo
       
       
       
       
       578-03585-14                                          20141474c2
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to public officers and employees;
    3         amending s. 112.326, F.S.; authorizing the electors of
    4         a political subdivision to impose additional or more
    5         stringent standards of conduct and disclosure
    6         requirements upon the political subdivision’s officers
    7         and employees; providing that a respondent is entitled
    8         to a public hearing upon a finding of probable cause
    9         of a violation of a local ethics ordinance; requiring
   10         a local ethics ordinance to establish certain
   11         procedures; providing for construction; providing an
   12         effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Section 112.326, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   17  read:
   18         112.326 Additional requirements by political subdivisions
   19  and agencies not prohibited.—Nothing in This part does not
   20  prohibit the electors or act shall prohibit the governing body
   21  of a any political subdivision, by ordinance, or agency, by
   22  rule, from imposing upon its own officers and employees
   23  additional or more stringent standards of conduct and disclosure
   24  requirements than those specified in this part, if provided that
   25  those standards of conduct and disclosure requirements do not
   26  otherwise conflict with the provisions of this part. If a local
   27  ethics agency, board, or commission determines that probable
   28  cause exists to believe a violation of a local ethics ordinance
   29  occurred, the respondent is entitled to a public hearing. The
   30  local ethics ordinance shall establish procedures concerning
   31  request of, and waiver of the right to, a public hearing. The
   32  respondent may elect to have the public hearing conducted by the
   33  local ethics agency, board, or commission, or by a hearing
   34  officer who is not a member of the local ethics agency, board,
   35  or commission. This section does not prohibit a respondent and
   36  the local ethics agency, board or commission from entering into
   37  a stipulation or consent agreement to resolve the allegations.
   38         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.