Florida Senate - 2022 SB 1142
By Senator Hutson
7-01138-22 20221142__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to local districting; amending s.
3 124.01, F.S.; prohibiting the drawing of county
4 districts to favor or disfavor an incumbent county
5 commissioner; prohibiting the consideration of the
6 addresses of certain persons during the district
7 drawing process; providing construction; creating s.
8 166.0321, F.S.; requiring municipalities to fix the
9 boundaries of their districts in a certain manner;
10 specifying that district changes may be made only in
11 odd-numbered years; prohibiting the drawing of
12 municipal districts to favor or disfavor an incumbent
13 member of the municipality’s governing body;
14 prohibiting the consideration of the addresses of
15 certain persons during the district-drawing process;
16 providing construction; amending s. 1001.36, F.S.;
17 prohibiting the drawing of member residence areas of
18 district school boards to favor or disfavor an
19 incumbent district school board member; prohibiting
20 the consideration of the addresses of certain persons
21 during the residence area-drawing process; providing
22 construction; providing an effective date.
23
24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
25
26 Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 124.01, Florida
27 Statutes, is amended to read:
28 124.01 Division of counties into districts; county
29 commissioners.—
30 (3) The board of county commissioners shall, from time to
31 time, fix the boundaries of the above districts so as to keep
32 them as nearly equal in proportion to population as possible,;
33 provided, that changes made in the boundaries of county
34 commissioner districts pursuant to this section shall be made
35 only in odd-numbered years. An individual district may not be
36 drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent county commissioner, nor
37 may the address of a candidate for county commissioner or an
38 incumbent county commissioner be considered during the district
39 drawing process. Any existing or future ordinance enacted or
40 adopted by a county which is in conflict with this subsection is
41 void.
42 Section 2. Section 166.0321, Florida Statutes, is created
43 to read:
44 166.0321 Division of municipalities into districts.—Each
45 municipality shall, from time to time, fix the boundaries of its
46 districts so as to keep them as nearly equal in proportion to
47 population as possible, provided that such changes shall be made
48 only in odd-numbered years. An individual district may not be
49 drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent member of the governing
50 body of the municipality, nor may the address of a candidate for
51 member of the governing body or an incumbent member of the
52 governing body be considered during the district-drawing
53 process. Any existing or future ordinance enacted or adopted by
54 a municipality which is in conflict with this section is void.
55 Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 1001.36, Florida
56 Statutes, is amended to read:
57 1001.36 District school board member residence areas.—
58 (2) A Any district school board may make any change that it
59 deems necessary in the boundaries of any district school board
60 member residence area at any meeting of the district school
61 board, provided that such changes shall be made only in odd
62 numbered years and that no change that would affect the
63 residence qualifications of any incumbent member shall
64 disqualify such incumbent member during the term for which he or
65 she is elected. An individual district school board member
66 residence area may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an
67 incumbent district school board member, nor may the address of a
68 candidate for district school board member or incumbent district
69 school board member be considered during the residence area
70 drawing process. Any existing or future resolution adopted by a
71 district school board which is in conflict with this subsection
72 is void.
73 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.