Florida Senate - 2014 SB 290
By Senators Hukill, Brandes, and Detert
8-00263-14 2014290__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the State Poet Laureate; amending
3 s. 265.285, F.S.; assigning duties to the Florida
4 Council on Arts and Culture relating to the promotion
5 of poetry and recommendations for the appointment of
6 the State Poet Laureate; creating s. 265.2863, F.S.;
7 creating the honorary position of State Poet Laureate
8 within the Department of State; establishing
9 procedures for the acceptance of nominations, the
10 qualifications and recommendation of nominees, and the
11 appointment of the State Poet Laureate; providing for
12 filling vacancies; specifying that a former poet
13 laureate becomes a State Poet Laureate Emeritus or
14 Emerita; providing that the State Poet Laureate, the
15 State Poet Laureate Emeritus, and the State Poet
16 Laureate Emerita serve without compensation;
17 authorizing the department to adopt rules; providing
18 an effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Present paragraph (g) of subsection (2) of
23 section 265.285, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph
24 (h), and a new paragraph (g) is added to that subsection, to
25 read:
26 265.285 Florida Council on Arts and Culture; membership,
27 duties.—
28 (2) The council shall:
29 (g) Promote the reading, writing, and appreciation of
30 poetry throughout the state and accept nominations and recommend
31 nominees for appointment as the State Poet Laureate under s.
32 265.2863.
33 Section 2. Section 265.2863, Florida Statutes, is created
34 to read:
35 265.2863 State Poet Laureate.—
36 (1) The honorary position of State Poet Laureate is created
37 within the Department of State.
38 (2) The Florida Council on Arts and Culture, in accordance
39 with procedures adopted by the department, shall solicit and
40 accept nominations for appointment as the State Poet Laureate.
41 The council shall solicit nominations from a broad array of
42 literary sources and members of the public.
43 (a) The council shall recommend at least five nominees to
44 the Secretary of State, each of whom must be:
45 1. A permanent resident of this state;
46 2. A public literary poet who has significant standing
47 inside and outside the state; and
48 3. Willing and physically able to perform the duties of the
49 State Poet Laureate as prescribed by the department, which may
50 include, but are not limited to, engaging in outreach and
51 mentoring for the benefit of schools and communities throughout
52 the state and performing readings of his or her own poetry, as
53 requested.
54 (b) From among the nominees recommended by the council, the
55 Secretary of State shall submit three nominees to the Governor,
56 who shall appoint one nominee as the State Poet Laureate.
57 (3) The State Poet Laureate shall serve a term of 4 years.
58 A vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired
59 term in the same manner as the original appointment.
60 (4) Each of the state’s poets laureate appointed before
61 July 1, 2014, and each State Poet Laureate appointed under this
62 section shall be designated a State Poet Laureate Emeritus or
63 State Poet Laureate Emerita in recognition of his or her service
64 to the state upon the appointment of his or her successor.
65 (5) The State Poet Laureate and each State Poet Laureate
66 Emeritus or State Poet Laureate Emerita shall serve without
67 compensation.
68 (6) The department may adopt rules to administer this
69 section.
70 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.