Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 280
By the Committee on Ethics and Elections; and Senator Arrington
582-02088-25 2025280c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to candidate qualification; creating
3 s. 99.013, F.S.; providing eligibility requirements
4 for persons seeking to qualify for nomination as
5 candidates of a political party or as candidates with
6 no party affiliation; providing that certain entities
7 may bring an action for declaratory and injunctive
8 relief based on a certain claim; prohibiting a person
9 from qualifying as a candidate for election and
10 prohibiting his or her name from appearing on the
11 ballot under certain circumstances; amending s.
12 99.021, F.S.; specifying that a person seeking to
13 qualify for office as a candidate must be a registered
14 member of a political party, or registered without any
15 party affiliation, for 365 consecutive days preceding
16 the beginning of qualifying for an election; providing
17 an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Section 99.013, Florida Statutes, is created to
22 read:
23 99.013 Eligibility to qualify for nomination as a candidate
24 of a political party or candidate with no party affiliation.—
25 (1)(a) A person seeking to qualify for nomination as a
26 candidate of a political party must have been a registered
27 member of the political party for which the person is seeking
28 nomination as a candidate for at least 365 consecutive days
29 preceding the beginning of the qualifying period before the
30 general election for which the person seeks to qualify.
31 (b) A person seeking to qualify for nomination as a
32 candidate with no party affiliation must be registered without
33 any party affiliation and may not have been a registered member
34 of any political party for at least 365 consecutive days
35 preceding the beginning of the qualifying period before the
36 general election for which the person seeks to qualify.
37 (2) A political party or other candidate for the office
38 sought may bring an action for declaratory and injunctive relief
39 based on a claim that a person seeking to qualify for nomination
40 as a candidate of such political party or as a candidate with no
41 party affiliation did not comply with this section.
42 (3) If a final judgment of a circuit court determines that
43 a person did not comply with this section, the person may not be
44 qualified as a candidate for election and his or her name may
45 not appear on the ballot.
46 Section 2. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (1) of
47 section 99.021, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
48 99.021 Form of candidate oath.—
49 (1)
50 (b) In addition, any person seeking to qualify for
51 nomination as a candidate of any political party shall, at the
52 time of subscribing to the oath or affirmation, state in
53 writing:
54 1. The party of which the person is a member.
55 2. That the person has been a registered member of the
56 political party for which he or she is seeking nomination as a
57 candidate for at least 365 consecutive days preceding before the
58 beginning of qualifying before preceding the general election
59 for which the person seeks to qualify.
60 3. That the person has paid the assessment levied against
61 him or her, if any, as a candidate for said office by the
62 executive committee of the party of which he or she is a member.
63 (c) In addition, any person seeking to qualify for office
64 as a candidate with no party affiliation shall, at the time of
65 subscribing to the oath or affirmation, state in writing that he
66 or she is registered without any party affiliation and that he
67 or she has not been a registered member of any political party
68 for at least 365 consecutive days preceding before the beginning
69 of qualifying before preceding the general election for which
70 the person seeks to qualify.
71 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.