The Florida Senate

331.308  Board of supervisors.--

(1)  There is created within the Florida Space Authority a board of supervisors consisting of eight regular members, who shall be appointed by the Governor, and two ex officio nonvoting members, one of whom shall be a state senator selected by the President of the Senate and one of whom shall be a state representative selected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Lieutenant Governor, who is the state's space policy leader, shall serve as chair of the board of supervisors, and shall cast the deciding vote if the votes of the eight regular members result in a tie. All regular members shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate at the next regular session of the Legislature. Existing board members are not prohibited from reappointment. Each of the regular board members must be a resident of the state and must have experience in the aerospace or commercial space industry or in finance or have other significant relevant experience. A private sector legal entity may not have more than one person serving on the board at any one time. One regular member shall represent organized labor interests, one regular member shall represent minority interests, and four regular members must represent space industry, at least one of whom must also be from a small business, as defined in s. 288.703 For the purpose of this section, "space industry" includes private sector entities engaged in space flight business, as defined in s. 212.031, research and technology development of space-based products and services, space station commercialization, development of spaceport and range technology, remote sensing products and services, space biotechnology, measurement and calibration of space assets, space-related software and information technology development, design and architecture of space-based assets and facilities for manufacturing and other purposes, space-related nanotechnology, space tourism, and other commercial enterprises utilizing uniquely space-based capabilities.

(2)  Each regular member shall serve a term of 4 years or until a successor is appointed and qualified. The term of each such member shall be construed to commence on the date of appointment and to terminate on June 30 of the year of the end of the term. Appointment to the board shall not preclude any such member from holding any other private or public position.

(3)  The ex officio nonvoting legislative members shall serve on the board for 2-year terms.

(4)  Any vacancy on the board shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term.

(5)  This act does not affect the terms or conditions of current members of the board, but applies to any vacancy that occurs on or after the effective date of this act. Appointments to the board shall give effect to this act as soon as practicable. Vacancies created by or occurring subsequent to the passage of this act shall be filled by representatives of the space industry, as provided herein, until the composition of the board is in compliance with the provisions of subsection (1).

(6)  The board shall hold its initial meeting no later than 20 days after the members have been appointed. At its initial meeting, or as soon thereafter as is practicable, the board shall appoint an executive director. Meetings shall be held quarterly or more frequently at the call of the chair. A majority of the regular members of the board shall constitute a quorum, and a majority vote of such members present is necessary for any action taken by the board.

(7)  The Governor has the authority to remove from the board any regular member in the manner and for cause as defined by the laws of this state and applicable to situations which may arise before the board. Unless excused by the chair of the board, a regular member's absence from two or more consecutive board meetings creates a vacancy in the office to which the member was appointed.

History.--ss. 8, 61, ch. 89-300; ss. 7, 8, ch. 90-192; s. 477, ch. 95-148; s. 118, ch. 99-13; s. 74, ch. 99-385; s. 14, ch. 2002-183.