Florida Senate - 2015 SB 2506
By the Committee on Appropriations
576-02877-15 20152506__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the judiciary; creating s. 25.025,
3 F.S.; establishing the headquarters of the Supreme
4 Court; authorizing a Supreme Court Justice to
5 designate a district court of appeal courthouse, a
6 county courthouse, or any other facility in his or her
7 county of residence as his or her official
8 headquarters; providing that the official headquarters
9 may serve as the justice’s private chambers only;
10 providing for a justice to receive subsistence and
11 transportation reimbursement relating to travel to the
12 headquarters of the Supreme Court under certain
13 circumstances; providing for implementation; providing
14 that a county is not required to provide space in a
15 county courthouse to a justice; authorizing a county
16 to enter into a specified agreement with the Supreme
17 Court; prohibiting the Supreme Court from using state
18 funds to lease space in a district court of appeal
19 courthouse, county courthouse, or other facility to
20 allow a justice to establish an official headquarters;
21 amending s. 35.05, F.S.; authorizing a district court
22 of appeal judge to designate a county courthouse or
23 other facility in his or her county of residence as
24 his or her official headquarters; providing that the
25 official headquarters may serve as the judge’s private
26 chambers only; providing for a district court of
27 appeal judge to receive reimbursement for
28 transportation expenses relating to travel to the
29 headquarters of the district court of appeal under
30 certain circumstances; providing for implementation;
31 providing that a county is not required to provide
32 space in a county courthouse to a district court of
33 appeal judge; authorizing a county to enter into a
34 specified agreement with a district court of appeal;
35 prohibiting a district court of appeal from using
36 state funds to lease space in a county courthouse or
37 other facility to allow a judge to establish an
38 official headquarters; providing an effective date.
39
40 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
41
42 Section 1. Section 25.025, Florida Statutes, is created to
43 read:
44 25.025 Headquarters.—
45 (1) The headquarters of the Supreme Court shall be the
46 Supreme Court Building in the Second Judicial Circuit,
47 Tallahassee, Leon County.
48 (2)(a) Any Supreme Court Justice who permanently resides
49 outside the Second Judicial Circuit may, if he or she so
50 requests, designate a district court of appeal courthouse, a
51 county courthouse, or any other appropriate facility in his or
52 her county of residence as his or her official headquarters
53 pursuant to s. 112.061. This official headquarters may serve as
54 the justice’s private chambers only.
55 (b) A justice who designates an official headquarters in
56 his or her county of residence under this subsection is eligible
57 for subsistence at a rate to be established by the Chief Justice
58 for each day or partial day that the justice is at the
59 headquarters of the Supreme Court for the conduct of the
60 business of the Court; however, such amount may not exceed the
61 amount allowed under s. 112.061(6). In addition to the
62 subsistence allowance, a justice is eligible for reimbursement
63 for transportation expenses as provided in s. 112.061(7), for
64 travel between the justice’s official headquarters and the
65 headquarters of the Court for the conduct of the business of the
66 Court.
67 (c) Payment of subsistence and reimbursement for
68 transportation expenses relating to travel between a justice’s
69 official headquarters and the headquarters of the Court shall be
70 made to the extent appropriated funds are available, as
71 determined by the Chief Justice.
72 (3) The Marshal of the Supreme Court and the Office of the
73 State Courts Administrator shall coordinate with each affected
74 justice and other state and local officials as necessary to
75 implement paragraph (2)(a).
76 (4)(a) This section does not require a county to provide
77 space in a county courthouse for a justice. A county may enter
78 into an agreement with the Supreme Court governing the use of
79 space in a county courthouse.
80 (b) The Supreme Court may not use state funds to lease
81 space in a district court of appeal courthouse, county
82 courthouse, or other facility to allow a justice to establish an
83 official headquarters pursuant to subsection (2).
84 Section 2. Subsections (3), (4), and (5) are added to
85 section 35.05, Florida Statutes, to read:
86 35.05 Headquarters.—
87 (3)(a) A district court of appeal judge who permanently
88 resides outside the judicial circuit in which the headquarters
89 or a branch of the court is located and whose residence is
90 located more than 50 miles from the nearest facility of the
91 court may, if he or she so requests, designate a county
92 courthouse or other appropriate facility in his or her county of
93 residence as his or her official headquarters pursuant to s.
94 112.061. This official headquarters may serve as the judge’s
95 private chambers only.
96 (b) A district court of appeal judge who designates an
97 official headquarters in his or her county of residence under
98 this subsection is eligible for reimbursement for transportation
99 expenses as provided in s. 112.061(7) for travel between the
100 judge’s official headquarters and the nearest headquarters of
101 the court or a branch of the court for the conduct of the
102 business of the court.
103 (c) Reimbursement for transportation expenses relating to
104 travel between a judge’s official headquarters and the
105 headquarters of the court or a branch of the court shall be made
106 to the extent appropriated funds are available, as determined by
107 the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
108 (4) The marshal of each district court of appeal and the
109 Office of the State Courts Administrator shall coordinate with
110 each affected district court of appeal judge and other state and
111 local officials as necessary to implement paragraph (3)(a).
112 (5)(a) This section does not require a county to provide
113 space in a county courthouse for a district court of appeal
114 judge. A county may enter into an agreement with a district
115 court of appeal governing the use of space in a county
116 courthouse.
117 (b) A district court of appeal may not use state funds to
118 lease space in a county courthouse or other facility to allow a
119 judge to establish an official headquarters pursuant to
120 subsection (3).
121 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.