Reorganization of Florida Government

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House Joint Resolution 1
A joint resolution proposing amendments to Section 24 2
of Article I, Section 2 of Article II, Sections 1, 2, 3
3, 4, 6, 8, 15, 16, 17, and 19 of Article III, 4
Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of Article IV, 5
Section 11 of Article V, Section 4 of Article VII, 6
Section 1 of Article VIII, Section 7 of Article IX, 7
and Sections 1, 3, and 5 Article XI, and the creation 8
of Sections 14, 15, 16, and 17 of Article IV, Section 9
8 of Article VII, and a new section of Article XII of 10
the State Constitution to move the seat of state 11
government; revise the size and procedures of the 12
Legislature; create new procedures for redistricting, 13
vacancies, and appointments; revise the amendment 14
process; create new cabinet positions; reorganize 15
duties of the cabinet; allow recall elections; allow 16
counties to become charter counties; and create a 17
number of elected boards to provide oversight of the 18
Governor, taxation, public utilities, and state 19
universities. 20
21
Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 22
23
That the following amendments to Section 24 of Article I, 24
Section 2 of Article II, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 15, 16, 17, 25

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and 19 of Article III, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of 26
Article IV, Section 11 of Article V, Section 4 of Article VII, 27
Section 1 of Article VIII, Section 7 of Article IX, and Sections 28
1, 3, and 5 Article XI, and the creation of Sections 14, 15, 16, 29
and 17 of Article IV, Section 8 of Article VII, and a new 30
section of Article XII of the State Constitution are agreed to 31
and shall be submitted to the electors of this state for 32
approval or rejection at the next general election or at an 33
earlier special election specifically authorized by law for that 34
purpose: 35
ARTICLE I 36
DECLARATION OF RIGHTS 37
SECTION 24. Access to public records and meetings.— 38
(a) Every person has the right to inspect or copy any 39
public record made or received in connection with the official 40
business of any public body, officer, or employee of the state, 41
or persons acting on their behalf, except with respect to 42
records exempted pursuant to this section or specifically made 43
confidential by this Constitution. This section specifically 44
includes the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of 45
government and each agency or department created thereunder; 46
counties, municipalities, and districts; and each constitutional 47
officer, board, and commission, or entity created pursuant to 48
law or this Constitution. 49
(b) All meetings of any collegial public body of the 50

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executive branch of state government or of any collegial public 51
body of a county, municipality, school district, or special 52
district, at which official acts are to be taken or at which 53
public business of such body is to be transacted or discussed, 54
shall be open and noticed to the public and meetings of the 55
legislature shall be open and noticed as provided in Article 56
III, Section 4(e), except with respect to meetings exempted 57
pursuant to this section or specifically closed by this 58
Constitution. 59
(c) This section shall be self-executing. The legislature, 60
however, may provide by general law passed by a two-thirds vote 61
of each house for the exemption of records from the requirements 62
of subsection (a) and the exemption of meetings from the 63
requirements of subsection (b), provided that such law shall 64
state with specificity the public necessity justifying the 65
exemption and shall be no broader than necessary to accomplish 66
the stated purpose of the law. Any exemption passed by the 67
legislature must expire and be repealed after six years unless 68
two-thirds of the membership of each house votes to continue the 69
exemption for another six years. The legislature shall enact 70
laws governing the enforcement of this section, including the 71
maintenance, control, destruction, disposal, and disposition of 72
records made public by this section, except that each house of 73
the legislature may adopt rules governing the enforcement of 74
this section in relation to records of the legislative branch. 75

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Laws enacted pursuant to this subsection shall contain only 76
exemptions from the requirements of subsections (a) or (b) and 77
provisions governing the enforcement of this section, and shall 78
relate to one subject. 79
(d) All laws that are in effect on July 1, 1993 that limit 80
public access to records or meetings shall remain in force, and 81
such laws apply to records of the legislative and judicial 82
branches, until they are repealed. Rules of court that are in 83
effect on the date of adoption of this section that limit access 84
to records shall remain in effect until they are repealed. 85
ARTICLE II 86
GENERAL PROVISIONS 87
SECTION 2. Seat of government.—The seat of government 88
shall, by January 1, 2043, be located within 100 miles of the 89
population center of the state, as determined by the decennial 90
census of 2020. the City of Tallahassee, in Leon County, where 91
The offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, cabinet 92
members and the supreme court shall be maintained and the 93
sessions of the legislature shall be held within the seat of 94
government; provided that, in time of invasion or grave 95
emergency, the governor by proclamation may for the period of 96
the emergency transfer the seat of government to another place. 97
ARTICLE III 98
LEGISLATURE 99
SECTION 1. Composition.—The legislative power of the state 100

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shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida, 101
consisting of a senate composed of one senator elected from each 102
senatorial district and a house of representatives composed of 103
one member elected from each representative district. There 104
shall be enough districts so that there is at least one 105
senatorial district for each four hundred thousand residents of 106
the state and at least one representative district for each one 107
hundred and twenty five thousand residents of the state. 108
SECTION 2. Members; officers; staff.—Each house shall be 109
the sole judge of the qualifications, elections, and returns of 110
its members, and shall biennially choose its officers, including 111
a permanent presiding officer selected from its membership, who 112
shall be designated in the senate as President of the Senate, 113
and in the house as Speaker of the House of Representatives, 114
each of whom shall serve at the pleasure of the respective 115
house. Each house shall also designate an alternate presiding 116
officer who shall preside in the absence of the presiding 117
officer and who shall be designated as the officer pro tempore. 118
The presiding officer shall preside over sessions of his or her 119
respective house of the legislature and may vote, but shall 120
serve no other role and may not introduce legislation. Committee 121
chairs shall be considered officers. A member may not serve in 122
more than one legislative officer position at a time. A 123
legislative officer may be removed from his or her position at 124
any time by a majority vote of the respective house. Each house 125

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shall designate an executive director who shall be responsible 126
for administration of the respective house and who shall serve 127
at the pleasure of the respective house. Once every ten years 128
the members shall designate a parliamentarian by a three-fifths 129
vote of each chamber. The parliamentarian may only be removed 130
for cause by a two-thirds vote of each chamber. The senate shall 131
designate a Secretary to serve at its pleasure, and the house of 132
representatives shall designate a Clerk to serve at its 133
pleasure. Each member shall receive an annual salary equal to 134
the United States Census Bureau's reported median household 135
income for the state. Each member of the house of 136
representatives shall have a minimum of three full-time 137
employees to serve as staff. Each member of the senate shall 138
have a minimum of five full-time employees to serve as staff. 139
Members are solely and exclusively responsible for decisions 140
concerning the member's staff. Staff must pass a civil service 141
test created for the legislature. Members shall be provided 142
office space in the seat of government and in the district he or 143
she represents. Each member shall be provided funds equal to the 144
number of staff such member has multiplied by the statewide 145
average median salary for paying staff. The pay disparity 146
between individual staff of a member may not be more than thirty 147
percent. The member must have one employee work from the office 148
located in the seat of government. Within thirty days after 149
being sworn to office, each member must complete training on the 150

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constitution, legislative rules, and budget procedures. The 151
training must take place in person and may not be partisan. Each 152
year each member shall be provided with funds equal to seventy 153
percent of the statewide average median salary to use to 154
purchase resources necessary for his or her work. Any unspent 155
funds must be returned by the end of the year. The legislature 156
shall appoint an auditor to serve at its pleasure who shall 157
audit public records and perform related duties as prescribed by 158
law or concurrent resolution. 159
SECTION 3. Sessions of the legislature.— 160
(a) ORGANIZATION SESSIONS. On the fourteenth day 161
following each general election the legislature shall convene 162
for the exclusive purpose of organization and selection of 163
officers, including legislative committee chairs, except that in 164
years during which the fourteenth day following the general 165
election falls during the same calendar week as Thanksgiving, 166
the legislature shall convene on the twenty-second day following 167
the general election. 168
(b) REGULAR SESSIONS. A regular session of the 169
legislature shall convene on March 1 and September 10 of each 170
the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of each odd-171
numbered year, and on the second Tuesday after the first Monday 172
in January of each even-numbered year. 173
(c) SPECIAL SESSIONS. 174
(1) The governor, with the advice of the executive 175

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council, by proclamation stating the purpose, may convene the 176
legislature in special session during which only such 177
legislative business may be transacted as is within the purview 178
of the proclamation, or of a communication from the governor, or 179
is introduced by consent of two-thirds of the membership of each 180
house. 181
(2) A special session of the legislature may be convened 182
by joint resolution passed by a three-fifths vote of the 183
membership of each house. The only legislative business that may 184
be transacted is that which is contained in the joint resolution 185
as provided by law. 186
(d) LENGTH OF SESSIONS. A regular session of the 187
legislature shall not exceed sixty consecutive days, and a 188
special session shall not exceed twenty consecutive days, unless 189
extended beyond such limit by a three-fifths vote of each house. 190
During such an extension no new business may be taken up in 191
either house without the consent of two-thirds of its 192
membership. 193
(e) ADJOURNMENT. Neither house shall adjourn for more 194
than seventy-two consecutive hours except pursuant to concurrent 195
resolution. 196
(f) ADJOURNMENT BY GOVERNOR. If, during any regular or 197
special session, the two houses cannot agree upon a time for 198
adjournment, the governor, with the advice of the executive 199
council, may adjourn the session sine die or to any date within 200

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the period authorized for such session; provided that, at least 201
twenty-four hours before adjourning the session, and while 202
neither house is in recess, each house shall be given formal 203
written notice of the governor's intention to do so, and 204
agreement reached within that period by both houses on a time 205
for adjournment shall prevail. 206
SECTION 4. Quorum and procedure.— 207
(a) Fifty-five percent A majority of the membership of 208
each house shall constitute a quorum, but a smaller number may 209
adjourn from day to day and compel the presence of absent 210
members in such manner and under such penalties as it may 211
prescribe. Each house shall determine its rules of procedure; 212
however: 213
(1) There may be no rule to manage time or to limit the 214
maximum amount of time which may be spent debating a bill on the 215
floor. Bills concerning appropriations, taxes, or amendments to 216
the constitution must have a minimum of four hours of debate on 217
the floor of each house. Members introducing a germane amendment 218
on the floor must be allowed to speak for no more than two 219
minutes and members rising in support of such amendments to 220
speak for no more than one minute. 221
(2) Multiple amendments may not be considered in a single 222
vote unless four-fifths of the membership agrees to such a vote. 223
(3) The sponsor of a bill that has been in possession of a 224
legislative committee for at least thirty days without being 225

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heard may petition for the bill to be discharged from the 226
committee upon the agreement of a majority of the membership of 227
the house in which such committee is located. 228
(4) A strike-all amendment must be filed at least seventy-229
two hours before a vote and must include a summary of no more 230
than two hundred fifty words of the differences between the 231
strike-all amendment and the original bill. The summary must be 232
written in a manner able to be read and understood at a high 233
school level. 234
(5) A final vote on the floor may only be scheduled after 235
1 A.M. or before 5 A.M. if such vote is agreed to by two-thirds 236
of the membership or is necessary to prevent a government 237
shutdown. 238
(6) A bill being heard on the floor must be publicly 239
posted on the internet at least seventy-two hours before such 240
bill is voted on, unless the bill is the general appropriations 241
act or a bill implementing such act, in which case the bill must 242
be posted at least ninety-six hours before the final vote. The 243
posted version of the general appropriations act and any bills 244
involving a tax or fee must include line-item explanations and 245
note any impact on existing programs. A conference report 246
involving the general appropriations act must be publicly posted 247
on the internet at least ninety-six hours before a final vote. 248
An amendment to a bill must be publicly posted on the internet 249
at least twelve hours before such bill is voted on. 250

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Appropriations may not be added by amendments; however, an 251
amendment may remove an appropriation from a bill. 252
(7) Before a bill is placed on second reading, a summary 253
must be prepared by staff describing the changes that would 254
result from each provision that is added to or removed from 255
existing law. 256
(8) Floor debate on a bill may be ended and a vote held 257
upon the agreement of three-fifths of the total membership of 258
the house holding floor debate. 259
(b) Sessions of each house shall be public. Public 260
sessions of each house and all committee meetings must be live 261
streamed on the internet as the meetings are happening and 262
archived on the internet in a manner that is accessible to the 263
public and include English and Spanish transcripts of the 264
meetings in a machine readable format. Videos of votes on the 265
floor of each house must be posted on the internet within 266
twenty-four hours and transcripts thereof must be available 267
within one month after such vote; except sessions of the senate 268
when considering appointment to or removal from public office 269
may be closed. 270
(c) Each house shall keep and publish a journal of its 271
proceedings; and upon the request of five members present, the 272
vote of each member voting on any question shall be entered on 273
the journal. In any legislative committee or subcommittee, the 274
vote of each member voting on the final passage of any 275

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legislation pending before the committee, and upon the request 276
of any two members of the committee or subcommittee, the vote of 277
each member on any other question, shall be recorded. 278
(d) Each house may punish a member for contempt or 279
disorderly conduct and, by a two-thirds vote of its membership, 280
may expel a member. 281
(e) The rules of procedure of each house shall provide 282
that all legislative committee and subcommittee meetings of each 283
house, and joint conference committee meetings, shall be open 284
and noticed to the public. Committees must meet at least once 285
each month, except for June, July, and December. The rules of 286
procedure of each house shall further provide that all 287
prearranged gatherings, between more than two members of the 288
legislature, or between the governor, the president of the 289
senate, or the speaker of the house of representatives, the 290
purpose of which is to agree upon formal legislative action that 291
will be taken at a subsequent time, or at which formal 292
legislative action is taken, regarding pending legislation or 293
amendments, shall be reasonably open to the public. All open 294
meetings shall be subject to order and decorum. This section 295
shall be implemented and defined by the rules of each house, and 296
such rules shall control admission to the floor of each 297
legislative chamber and may, where reasonably necessary for 298
security purposes or to protect a witness appearing before a 299
committee, provide for the closure of committee meetings. Each 300

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house shall be the sole judge for the interpretation, 301
implementation, and enforcement of this section. 302
(f) Each committee shall have nonpartisan staff that 303
includes an attorney and analysts. The staff must pass a civil 304
service test created for the legislature. Each bill heard by a 305
committee must have a staff analysis written in a manner able to 306
be read and understood at an eighth grade level. 307
(g) An office of bill drafting and research is created 308
within each house of the legislature to provide confidential 309
drafting services to members. The offices must be nonpartisan. 310
(h) All filed bills and amendments must be posted to the 311
internet. Bills and amendments must be coded with new language 312
underlined and previous language struck out. The posting must be 313
in a format that is machine readable. 314
(i) If two hundred and fifty thousand registered electors 315
in the state, including at least one thousand electors located 316
in forty percent of the legislative districts, sign a petition 317
requesting that a bill be heard in committee, the committee in 318
each house in possession of such bill must consider the bill at 319
the next regular meeting of such committee. However, if such 320
bill is a local bill the petition must instead be signed by ten 321
percent of the number of electors who voted in the most recent 322
general election. 323
(j) Employees of the legislature must complete the same 324
training required of members under Section 2 within sixty days 325

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after being hired. 326
(k)(1) Each house shall be composed of, at a minimum, the 327
following legislative committees: 328
a. Appropriations. 329
b. Commerce. 330
c. Education and employment. 331
d. Health and human services. 332
e. Infrastructure. 333
f. Judiciary. 334
g. Rules. 335
h. State affairs. 336
i. Ways and means. 337
j. Executive branch oversight. 338
(2) Each legislative committee shall have prescribed and 339
nonoverlapping jurisdiction. 340
(3) Each house may by rule create subcommittees that are 341
subordinate to the legislative committees set forth in 342
subsection (1). However, the total number of legislative 343
committees and subcommittees in each house may not exceed 344
thirty. A bill passed by a subcommittee must be referred to the 345
legislative committee to which it is subordinate. 346
(4) Within each house, each member shall serve on the same 347
number of legislative committees, including subcommittees. 348
However, the president of the senate and the speaker of the 349
house of representatives may not serve on any legislative 350

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committee and a member of the legislature who chairs a 351
legislative committee may only serve on that legislative 352
committee and any subordinate subcommittee of such legislative 353
committee. 354
(5) The political party affiliations of members of the 355
legislative committees and subcommittees of each house shall be 356
proportional to the political party affiliations of the 357
respective house as a whole. 358
(l) The secretary of the senate and the clerk of the house 359
of representatives, respectively, shall assign each bill to an 360
appropriate legislative committee of the respective house, 361
except that such house may by majority vote reassign any bill to 362
a different legislative committee. 363
(m) Each legislative committee agenda shall be proposed by 364
the chair and voted upon, subject to amendment, at the preceding 365
meeting. Any amendments to legislation placed on a legislative 366
committee agenda must be filed at least fourteen days, and 367
amendments to amendments and substitute amendments must be filed 368
at least seven days, before the meeting at which the legislation 369
is to be considered. However, late-filed amendments, amendments 370
to amendments, and substitute amendments may be considered upon 371
a two-thirds vote of the committee. 372
(n) Each bill must be passed by a majority of the members 373
of one or more committees before being considered on the floor 374
of either house. 375

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(o) The agenda for each floor session shall be proposed by 376
the chair of the rules committee and voted upon, subject to 377
amendment, at the preceding meeting. Late-filed amendments, 378
amendments to amendments, and substitute amendments may be 379
considered upon a two-thirds vote of the respective house. 380
(p) A bill that has been placed on a committee agenda or 381
the agenda for the floor session of either house may only be 382
removed from consideration at that meeting or session due to the 383
absence or request of the main sponsor or upon a majority vote 384
of the members of the respective body. 385
(q) A bill that is not withdrawn from consideration by the 386
bill sponsor shall remain available for consideration and 387
placement on a legislative agenda until a general election 388
occurs. 389
(r) In all events, members shall be recognized in debate 390
in the order in which requests are received, and the order of 391
members recognized to debate shall be displayed in the 392
respective house during the debate and shall be accessible to 393
members through an electronic system. No attempt may be made by 394
the presiding officer or any other individual to influence the 395
order of the debate or to divide the time for debate between 396
members supporting or opposing the bill. Notwithstanding the 397
foregoing provisions of this subsection, each member may 398
exercise the right to speak upon any single measure, without 399
limitation, for up to five minutes, on the floor of the 400

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respective house during a period designated by the presiding 401
officer. 402
SECTION 6. Laws.—Every law shall embrace but one subject 403
and matter properly connected therewith, and the subject shall 404
be briefly expressed in the title. Each title must include a 405
summary that does not exceed two hundred fifty words written in 406
a manner able to be read and understood at a college level. No 407
law shall be revised or amended by reference to its title only. 408
Laws to revise or amend shall set out in full the revised or 409
amended act, section, subsection or paragraph of a subsection. 410
The enacting clause of every law shall read: "Be It Enacted by 411
the Legislature of the State of Florida:". 412
SECTION 8. Executive approval and veto.— 413
(a) Every bill passed by the legislature shall be 414
presented to the governor for approval and shall become a law if 415
the governor approves and signs it, or fails to veto it within 416
seven consecutive days after presentation. If during that period 417
or on the seventh day the legislature adjourns sine die or takes 418
a recess of more than thirty days, the governor shall have 419
fifteen consecutive days from the date of presentation to act on 420
the bill. In all cases except general appropriation bills, the 421
veto shall extend to the entire bill. Except for specific 422
appropriations directed to the legislative branch, the governor 423
may veto any specific appropriation in a general appropriation 424
bill, but may not veto any qualification or restriction without 425

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also vetoing the appropriation to which it relates. 426
(b) When a bill or any specific appropriation of a general 427
appropriation bill has been vetoed, the governor shall transmit 428
signed objections thereto to the house in which the bill 429
originated if in session. If that house is not in session, the 430
governor shall file them with the custodian of state records, 431
who shall lay them before that house at its next regular or 432
special session, whichever occurs first, and they shall be 433
entered on its journal. If the originating house votes to re-434
enact a vetoed measure, whether in a regular or special session, 435
and the other house does not consider or fails to re-enact the 436
vetoed measure, no further consideration by either house at any 437
subsequent session may be taken. If a vetoed measure is 438
presented at a special session and the originating house does 439
not consider it, the measure will be available for consideration 440
at any intervening special session and until the end of the next 441
regular session. 442
(c) If each house shall, by a two-thirds vote, re-enact 443
the bill or reinstate the vetoed specific appropriation of a 444
general appropriation bill, the vote of each member voting shall 445
be entered on the respective journals, and the bill shall become 446
law or the specific appropriation reinstated, the veto 447
notwithstanding. 448
SECTION 15. Terms and qualifications of legislators.— 449
(a) SENATORS. Senators shall be elected for terms of four 450

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years, those from odd-numbered districts in the years the 451
numbers of which are multiples of four and those from even-452
numbered districts in even-numbered years the numbers of which 453
are not multiples of four; except, at the election next 454
following a reapportionment, some senators shall be elected for 455
terms of two years when necessary to maintain staggered terms. 456
(b) REPRESENTATIVES. Members of the house of 457
representatives shall be elected for terms of two years in each 458
even-numbered year. 459
(c) QUALIFICATIONS. Each legislator shall be at least 460
twenty-one years of age, an elector and resident of the district 461
from which elected and shall have resided in the state for a 462
period of two years prior to election. 463
(d) ASSUMING OFFICE; VACANCIES. Members of the 464
legislature shall take office upon election. Unless the office 465
become vacant less than one hundred eighty days before a general 466
election, vacancies in legislative office shall be filled only 467
by a special election held no more than one hundred twenty days 468
after the office became vacant as provided by law. 469
SECTION 16. Legislative apportionment.— 470
(a) INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS. The state 471
shall be apportioned by three independent redistricting 472
commissions, one each for the senatorial, representative, and 473
congressional redistricting process. 474
(1)a. Each redistricting commission shall establish a 475

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screening panel consisting of thirty-seven members. The 476
president of the senate, the speaker of the house of 477
representatives, the minority leader of the house of 478
representatives, and the minority leader of the senate shall 479
each appoint nine members. The chief justice of the supreme 480
court shall appoint one member. 481
b. To apply for a commissioner position, an applicant must 482
have voted in two out of the last three presidential elections 483
and two out of the last three gubernatorial elections. The 484
following persons may not apply for a commissioner position or 485
serve as commissioner: 486
1. A person who is currently serving, or who has served, 487
in an office or position which is filled by vote of the 488
electors. 489
2. A person who, within the past fourteen years, has been 490
a party officer, a registered lobbyist, or paid while working as 491
part of a campaign staff, or has worked for the executive office 492
of the governor. 493
3. A person who, within the past eighteen years, has 494
worked for the legislature. 495
4. A parent, spouse, child, sibling, parent-in-law, child-496
in-law, or sibling-in-law of, or a cohabitating member of a 497
household, of a person in sub-subparagraphs 1. through 3. 498
c. After review, the screening panel shall select for 499
further consideration fifteen applicants from each of the 500

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following categories: 501
1. Applicants who are registered members of the political 502
party that received the most votes in the last statewide 503
election. 504
2. Applicants who are registered members of the political 505
party that received the second-most votes in the last statewide 506
election. 507
3. Applicants who are registered as independent or members 508
of a minor political party. 509
510
The screening panel shall ensure the selected applicants are, as 511
a whole, representative of the racial, ethnic, geographic, and 512
gender diversity of the state. 513
(2)a. The president of the senate, the speaker of the 514
house of representatives, the minority leader of the senate, and 515
the minority leader of the house of representatives may each 516
strike two applicants from each of the categories described in 517
subparagraphs (1)b.1. through 3. 518
b. The screening panel shall then randomly draw five 519
applicants from each of the categories described in 520
subparagraphs (1)b.1 through 3. to create each final independent 521
redistricting commission. 522
(3) The terms of the initial group of commissioners shall 523
begin in 2027. Each commissioner shall serve a ten-year term and 524
may not serve consecutive terms. A person running for office may 525

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not have served on the commission that drew the district for 526
that office during his or her term or within ten years after the 527
promulgation of those maps. 528
(4) A member of the commission shall receive compensation 529
fixed at the legislative per diem rate during commission travel 530
and meetings and shall be allowed all reasonable and necessary 531
expenses incurred in the performance of his or her duties. 532
(5)a. All meetings shall take place in person and be 533
streamed on a publicly available website. 534
b. All records and documents of the commission, including 535
a person or group performing delegated functions of the 536
commission or advising the commission, related to the 537
commission's work shall be considered public record. This 538
includes internal communications of the commission and 539
communications made to the commission. 540
c. Commissioners, staff of the commission, and any other 541
advisor or consultant to the commission may only communicate 542
with a person outside the commission about matters related to 543
reapportionment in a public meeting or hearing. This does not 544
include written public comments submitted to the commission, 545
staff of the commission, or any other advisor or consultant to 546
the commission. 547
(6) If the commission hires legal counsel the commission 548
as an entity shall be considered the client. 549
(7) The commission shall establish and maintain a public 550

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website or other equivalent electronic platform to share 551
information about the commission's activities. Prior to voting 552
on any proposed plan, the commission must publish the proposed 553
plan to the website. The website must: 554
a. Be capable of receiving comments and proposals by 555
citizens of the state. 556
b. Include a public submission portal for map drawing, 557
which shall open on the website on January 1 of a year ending in 558
one. 559
c. Include all data used by the commission in the drawing 560
of districts. Such data, including census data, precinct maps, 561
election results, and shapefiles, shall be posted to the website 562
within three days after receipt by the commission. 563
(b) DISTRICT MAPS. 564
(1) Each commission shall reapportion the state by 565
creating three district maps. Each map shall be drawn according 566
to Sections 20 and 21 of Article III. 567
(2) The commission shall adopt three final district maps. 568
The maps must be approved by at least two-thirds of the 569
commissioners, including at least two commissioners registered 570
as independent or minor party affiliates. 571
(3) Before adopting a final map, the commission must hold 572
at least two public hearings in each state appellate district 573
and at least two public hearings in each county with a 574
population of 1 million or more to seek public input. All 575

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meetings and hearings held by the commission shall be adequately 576
advertised and planned to ensure the public is able to attend 577
and participate fully. Meetings and hearings must have 578
advertisements in, at minimum, in English, Spanish, Haitian 579
Creole, and Portuguese. 580
(c)(a) SENATORIAL AND REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICTS. The 581
legislature at its regular session in the second year following 582
each decennial census, by joint resolution approved by a 583
majority vote of each chamber, shall adopt one of the maps 584
created by the commission to apportion the state in accordance 585
with the constitution of the state and of the United States into 586
not less than thirty nor more than forty consecutively numbered 587
senatorial districts of either contiguous, overlapping or 588
identical territory, and into not less than eighty nor more than 589
one hundred twenty consecutively numbered representative 590
districts of either contiguous, overlapping or identical 591
territory. A map from the commission may be amended by the 592
legislature only if the amendment is approved by a three-593
quarters vote of each chamber. The legislature must adopt a 594
final map by the earlier of July 1st of a year ending in one or 595
sixty days after receipt of census data. The legislature shall 596
be barred from all other involvement. The legislature may 597
authorize an extension until December 15 in the event of an 598
extraordinary circumstance. As used in this subsection, an 599
"extraordinary circumstance" means an invasion of the state by a 600

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hostile foreign power and recognized as such by an act of 601
Congress, a pandemic declared as such by the President of the 602
United States, or a natural disaster declared as such by the 603
President of the United States Should that session adjourn 604
without adopting such joint resolution, the governor by 605
proclamation shall reconvene the legislature within thirty days 606
in special apportionment session which shall not exceed thirty 607
consecutive days, during which no other business shall be 608
transacted, and it shall be the mandatory duty of the 609
legislature to adopt a joint resolution of apportionment. 610
(d)(b) FAILURE OF LEGISLATURE TO APPORTION; JUDICIAL MAP 611
SELECTION REAPPORTIONMENT. In the event a special apportionment 612
session of the legislature fails to adopt finally adjourns 613
without adopting a joint resolution of apportionment, the 614
supreme court shall select the most compact map out of the three 615
submitted without amendment. The supreme court may hire up to 616
two special masters for assistance with the selection the 617
attorney general shall, within five days, petition the supreme 618
court of the state to make such apportionment. No later than the 619
sixtieth day after the filing of such petition, the supreme 620
court shall file with the custodian of state records an order 621
making such apportionment. 622
(e)(c) LEGAL CHALLENGES TO JUDICIAL REVIEW OF 623
APPORTIONMENT. Within fifteen days after the passage of the 624
joint resolution of apportionment, the attorney general shall 625

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petition The supreme court of the state shall have original and 626
exclusive jurisdiction of any case for a declaratory judgment 627
determining the validity of the apportionment. The supreme 628
court, in accordance with its rules, shall permit adversary 629
interests to present their views and, within thirty days from 630
the filing of the petition, shall enter its judgment. A justice 631
who has a close relationship with a member of the United States 632
Congress or of the legislature has a conflict of interest in the 633
case and may not participate in any hearing or decision related 634
to a case brought under this subsection. As used in this 635
subsection, "close relationship" means a parent, spouse, child, 636
sibling, parent-in-law, child-in-law, or sibling-in-law of, or a 637
cohabitating member of a household with a member of the United 638
States Congress or of the legislature. 639
(f)(d) EFFECT OF JUDGMENT IN APPORTIONMENT; EXTRAORDINARY 640
APPORTIONMENT SESSION. A judgment of the supreme court of the 641
state determining the apportionment to be valid shall be binding 642
upon all the citizens of the state. Should the supreme court 643
determine that the apportionment made by the legislature is 644
invalid, the governor by proclamation shall reconvene the 645
independent redistricting commissions to determine and propose a 646
reapportionment plan to remedy the unlawful or unconstitutional 647
district in a manner that minimally interferes with other 648
districts legislature within five days thereafter in 649
extraordinary apportionment session which shall not exceed 650

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fifteen days, during which the legislature shall adopt a joint 651
resolution of apportionment conforming to the judgment of the 652
supreme court. 653
(e) EXTRAORDINARY APPORTIONMENT SESSION; REVIEW OF 654
APPORTIONMENT. Within fifteen days after the adjournment of an 655
extraordinary apportionment session, the attorney general shall 656
file a petition in the supreme court of the state setting forth 657
the apportionment resolution adopted by the legislature, or if 658
none has been adopted reporting that fact to the court. 659
Consideration of the validity of a joint resolution of 660
apportionment shall be had as provided for in cases of such 661
joint resolution adopted at a regular or special apportionment 662
session. 663
(f) JUDICIAL REAPPORTIONMENT. Should an extraordinary 664
apportionment session fail to adopt a resolution of 665
apportionment or should the supreme court determine that the 666
apportionment made is invalid, the court shall, not later than 667
sixty days after receiving the petition of the attorney general, 668
file with the custodian of state records an order making such 669
apportionment. 670
SECTION 17. Impeachment.— 671
(a) The governor, lieutenant governor, members of the 672
cabinet, members of the executive council, members of the board 673
of equalization, members of the board of control, members of the 674
board of utility directors, justices of the supreme court, 675

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judges of district courts of appeal, judges of circuit courts, 676
and judges of county courts shall be liable to impeachment for 677
misdemeanor in office. The house of representatives by two-678
thirds vote shall have the power to impeach an officer. The 679
speaker of the house of representatives shall have power at any 680
time to appoint a committee to investigate charges against any 681
officer subject to impeachment. 682
(b) An officer impeached by the house of representatives 683
shall be disqualified from performing any official duties until 684
acquitted by the senate, and, unless impeached, the governor may 685
by appointment fill the office until completion of the trial. 686
(c) All impeachments by the house of representatives shall 687
be tried by the senate. The chief justice of the supreme court, 688
or another justice designated by the chief justice, shall 689
preside at the trial, except in a trial of the chief justice, in 690
which case the governor shall preside. The senate shall 691
determine the time for the trial of any impeachment and may sit 692
for the trial whether the house of representatives be in session 693
or not. The time fixed for trial shall not be more than six 694
months after the impeachment. During an impeachment trial 695
senators shall be upon their oath or affirmation. No officer 696
shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the 697
members of the senate present. Judgment of conviction in cases 698
of impeachment shall remove the offender from office and, in the 699
discretion of the senate, may include disqualification to hold 700

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any office of honor, trust or profit. Conviction or acquittal 701
shall not affect the civil or criminal responsibility of the 702
officer. 703
SECTION 19. State Budgeting, Planning and Appropriations 704
Processes.— 705
(a) ANNUAL BUDGETING. 706
(1) General law shall prescribe the adoption of annual 707
state budgetary and planning processes and require that detail 708
reflecting the annualized costs of the state budget and 709
reflecting the nonrecurring costs of the budget requests shall 710
accompany state department and agency legislative budget 711
requests, the governor's recommended budget, and appropriation 712
bills. 713
(2) Unless approved by a three-fifths vote of the 714
membership of each house, appropriations made for recurring 715
purposes from nonrecurring general revenue funds for any fiscal 716
year shall not exceed three percent of the total general revenue 717
funds estimated to be available at the time such appropriation 718
is made. 719
(3) As prescribed by general law, each state department 720
and agency shall be required to submit a legislative budget 721
request that is based upon and that reflects the long-range 722
financial outlook adopted by the joint legislative budget 723
commission or that specifically explains any variance from the 724
long-range financial outlook contained in the request. 725

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(4) For purposes of this section, the terms department and 726
agency shall include the judicial branch. 727
(b) APPROPRIATION BILLS FORMAT. Separate sections within 728
the general appropriation bill shall be used for each major 729
program area of the state budget; major program areas shall 730
include: education enhancement "lottery" trust fund items; 731
education (all other funds); human services; criminal justice 732
and corrections; natural resources, environment, growth 733
management, and transportation; general government; and judicial 734
branch. Each major program area shall include an itemization of 735
expenditures for: state operations; state capital outlay; aid to 736
local governments and nonprofit organizations operations; aid to 737
local governments and nonprofit organizations capital outlay; 738
federal funds and the associated state matching funds; spending 739
authorizations for operations; and spending authorizations for 740
capital outlay. Additionally, appropriation bills passed by the 741
legislature shall include an itemization of specific 742
appropriations that exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) 743
in 1992 dollars. For purposes of this subsection, "specific 744
appropriation," "itemization," and "major program area" shall be 745
defined by law. This itemization threshold shall be adjusted by 746
general law every four years to reflect the rate of inflation or 747
deflation as indicated in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban 748
Consumers, U.S. City Average, All Items, or successor reports as 749
reported by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of 750

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Labor Statistics or its successor. Substantive bills containing 751
appropriations shall also be subject to the itemization 752
requirement mandated under this provision and shall be subject 753
to the governor's specific appropriation veto power described in 754
Article III, Section 8. 755
(c) APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS. 756
(1) No later than September 15 of each year, the joint 757
legislative budget commission shall issue a long-range financial 758
outlook setting out recommended fiscal strategies for the state 759
and its departments and agencies in order to assist the 760
legislature in making budget decisions. The long-range financial 761
outlook must include major workload and revenue estimates. In 762
order to implement this paragraph, the joint legislative budget 763
commission shall use current official consensus estimates and 764
may request the development of additional official estimates. 765
(2) The joint legislative budget commission shall seek 766
input from the public and from the executive and judicial 767
branches when developing and recommending the long-range 768
financial outlook. 769
(3) The legislature shall prescribe by general law 770
conditions under which limited adjustments to the budget, as 771
recommended by the governor or the chief justice of the supreme 772
court, may be approved without the concurrence of the full 773
legislature. 774
(d) NINETY-SIX SEVENTY-TWO HOUR PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD. All 775

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general appropriation bills shall be furnished to each member of 776
the legislature, each member of the cabinet, the governor, and 777
the chief justice of the supreme court at least ninety-six 778
seventy-two hours before final passage by either house of the 779
legislature of the bill in the form that will be presented to 780
the governor. 781
(e) FINAL BUDGET REPORT. A final budget report shall be 782
prepared as prescribed by general law. The final budget report 783
shall be produced no later than the 120th day after the 784
beginning of the fiscal year, and copies of the report shall be 785
furnished to each member of the legislature, the head of each 786
department and agency of the state, the auditor general, and the 787
chief justice of the supreme court. 788
(f) TRUST FUNDS. 789
(1) No trust fund of the State of Florida or other public 790
body may be created or re-created by law without a three-fifths 791
vote of the membership of each house of the legislature in a 792
separate bill for that purpose only. 793
(2) State trust funds shall terminate not more than four 794
years after the effective date of the act authorizing the 795
initial creation of the trust fund. By law the legislature may 796
set a shorter time period for which any trust fund is 797
authorized. 798
(3) Trust funds required by federal programs or mandates; 799
trust funds established for bond covenants, indentures, or 800

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resolutions, whose revenues are legally pledged by the state or 801
public body to meet debt service or other financial requirements 802
of any debt obligations of the state or any public body; the 803
state transportation trust fund; the trust fund containing the 804
net annual proceeds from the Florida Education Lotteries; the 805
Florida retirement trust fund; trust funds for institutions 806
under the management of the Board of Control Board of Governors, 807
where such trust funds are for auxiliary enterprises and 808
contracts, grants, and donations, as those terms are defined by 809
general law; trust funds that serve as clearing funds or 810
accounts for the controller chief financial officer or state 811
agencies; trust funds that account for assets held by the state 812
in a trustee capacity as an agent or fiduciary for individuals, 813
private organizations, or other governmental units; and other 814
trust funds authorized by this Constitution, are not subject to 815
the requirements set forth in paragraph (2) of this subsection. 816
(4) All cash balances and income of any trust funds 817
abolished under this subsection shall be deposited into the 818
general revenue fund. 819
(g) BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND. Subject to the provisions 820
of this subsection, an amount equal to at least 5% of the last 821
completed fiscal year's net revenue collections for the general 822
revenue fund shall be retained in the budget stabilization fund. 823
The budget stabilization fund's principal balance shall not 824
exceed an amount equal to 10% of the last completed fiscal 825

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year's net revenue collections for the general revenue fund. The 826
legislature shall provide criteria for withdrawing funds from 827
the budget stabilization fund in a separate bill for that 828
purpose only and only for the purpose of covering revenue 829
shortfalls of the general revenue fund or for the purpose of 830
providing funding for an emergency, as defined by general law. 831
General law shall provide for the restoration of this fund. The 832
budget stabilization fund shall be comprised of funds not 833
otherwise obligated or committed for any purpose. 834
(h) LONG-RANGE STATE PLANNING DOCUMENT AND DEPARTMENT AND 835
AGENCY PLANNING DOCUMENT PROCESSES. General law shall provide 836
for a long-range state planning document. The governor shall 837
recommend to the legislature biennially any revisions to the 838
long-range state planning document, as defined by law. General 839
law shall require a biennial review and revision of the long-840
range state planning document and shall require all departments 841
and agencies of state government to develop planning documents 842
that identify statewide strategic goals and objectives, 843
consistent with the long-range state planning document. The 844
long-range state planning document and department and agency 845
planning documents shall remain subject to review and revision 846
by the legislature. The long-range state planning document must 847
include projections of future needs and resources of the state 848
which are consistent with the long-range financial outlook. The 849
department and agency planning documents shall include a 850

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prioritized listing of planned expenditures for review and 851
possible reduction in the event of revenue shortfalls, as 852
defined by general law. 853
(i) GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY TASK FORCE. No later than 854
January of 2007, and each fourth year thereafter, The president 855
of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and 856
the governor shall appoint a government efficiency task force, 857
the membership of which shall be established by general law. The 858
task force shall be composed of members of the legislature and 859
representatives from the private and public sectors who shall 860
develop recommendations for improving governmental operations 861
and reducing costs. Staff to assist the task force in performing 862
its duties shall be assigned by general law, and the task force 863
may obtain assistance from the private sector. The task force 864
shall complete a performance review of government programs. All 865
programs shall be ranked by budget and the top quartile must be 866
reviewed at least once every four years. The task force its work 867
within one year and shall submit its recommendations to the 868
joint legislative budget commission, the governor, and the chief 869
justice of the supreme court. 870
(j) JOINT LEGISLATIVE BUDGET COMMISSION. There is created 871
within the legislature the joint legislative budget commission 872
composed of equal numbers of senate members appointed by the 873
president of the senate and house members appointed by the 874
speaker of the house of representatives. Each member shall serve 875

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at the pleasure of the officer who appointed the member. A 876
vacancy on the commission shall be filled in the same manner as 877
the original appointment. From November of each odd-numbered 878
year through October of each even-numbered year, the chairperson 879
of the joint legislative budget commission shall be appointed by 880
the president of the senate and the vice chairperson of the 881
commission shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of 882
representatives. From November of each even-numbered year 883
through October of each odd-numbered year, the chairperson of 884
the joint legislative budget commission shall be appointed by 885
the speaker of the house of representatives and the vice 886
chairperson of the commission shall be appointed by the 887
president of the senate. The joint legislative budget commission 888
shall be governed by the joint rules of the senate and the house 889
of representatives, which shall remain in effect until repealed 890
or amended by concurrent resolution. The commission shall 891
convene at least quarterly and shall convene at the call of the 892
president of the senate and the speaker of the house of 893
representatives. A majority of the commission members of each 894
house plus one additional member from either house constitutes a 895
quorum. Action by the commission requires a majority vote of the 896
commission members present of each house. The commission may 897
conduct its meetings through teleconferences or similar means. 898
In addition to the powers and duties specified in this 899
subsection, the joint legislative budget commission shall 900

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exercise all other powers and perform any other duties not in 901
conflict with paragraph (c)(3) and as prescribed by general law 902
or joint rule. 903
(k) REVENUE ESTIMATING CONFERENCE. A nonpartisan revenue 904
estimating conference shall be responsible for creating all 905
revenue forecasts. 906
(l) PROHIBITION ON SUBSIDIZATION OF UNDERFUNDED COUNTIES. 907
A county may not be required to subsidize another county through 908
the budget. The budget must provide each county with services 909
and funding equal to at least eighty percent of the amount of 910
state taxation collected as a result of economic activity in 911
such county. 912
ARTICLE IV 913
EXECUTIVE 914
SECTION 1. Governor.— 915
(a) The supreme executive power shall be vested in a 916
governor, who shall be commander-in-chief of all military forces 917
of the state not in active service of the United States. The 918
governor shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, 919
commission all officers of the state and counties, and transact 920
all necessary business with the officers of government. The 921
governor may require information in writing from all executive 922
or administrative state, county or municipal officers upon any 923
subject relating to the duties of their respective offices. The 924
governor shall be the chief administrative officer of the state 925

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responsible for the planning and budgeting for the state. 926
(b) The governor may initiate judicial proceedings in the 927
name of the state against any executive or administrative state, 928
county or municipal officer to enforce compliance with any duty 929
or restrain any unauthorized act. 930
(c) The governor may request in writing the opinion of the 931
justices of the supreme court as to the interpretation of any 932
portion of this constitution upon any question affecting the 933
governor's executive powers and duties. The justices shall, 934
subject to their rules of procedure, permit interested persons 935
to be heard on the questions presented and shall render their 936
written opinion not earlier than ten days from the filing and 937
docketing of the request, unless in their judgment the delay 938
would cause public injury. 939
(d) The governor shall have power to call out the militia 940
to preserve the public peace, execute the laws of the state, 941
suppress insurrection, or repel invasion. 942
(e) The governor shall by message at least once in each 943
regular session inform the legislature concerning the condition 944
of the state, propose such reorganization of the executive 945
department as will promote efficiency and economy, and recommend 946
measures in the public interest. 947
(f) When not otherwise provided for in this constitution, 948
the governor shall fill by appointment any vacancy in state or 949
county office for the remainder of the term of an appointive 950

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office, and for the remainder of the term of an elective office 951
if less than twenty-eight months, otherwise until the first 952
Tuesday after the first Monday following the next general 953
election. The governor shall make an appointment within thirty 954
days after an occurrence of a vacancy. 955
SECTION 2. Lieutenant governor.—There shall be a 956
lieutenant governor, who shall perform such duties pertaining to 957
the office of governor as shall be assigned by the governor, 958
except when otherwise provided by law, shall serve as the state 959
fire marshal; shall have authority the division of emergency 960
management, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and the 961
Department of Military Affairs; and such other duties as may be 962
prescribed by law. 963
SECTION 3. Succession to office of governor; acting 964
governor.— 965
(a) Upon vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant 966
governor shall become governor. Further succession to the office 967
of governor shall be in the following order: 968
(1) The attorney general. 969
(2) The auditor general. 970
(3) The controller. 971
(4) The commissioner of health and insurance. 972
(5) The commissioner of labor. 973
(6) The commissioner of agriculture. 974
(7) The commissioner of lands. 975

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(8) The commissioner of education prescribed by law. 976
977
A successor shall serve for the remainder of the term, unless a 978
presidential election is scheduled before the end of the term, 979
in which case a special election for governor shall be held at 980
the same time as such presidential election. 981
(b) Upon impeachment of the governor and until completion 982
of trial thereof, or during the governor's physical or mental 983
incapacity, the lieutenant governor shall act as governor. 984
Further succession as acting governor shall be prescribed by 985
law. Incapacity to serve as governor may be determined by the 986
supreme court upon due notice after docketing of a written 987
petition from the attorney general who is acting with the 988
support of a majority of the executive council suggestion 989
thereof by three cabinet members, and in such case restoration 990
of capacity shall be similarly determined after docketing of 991
written suggestion thereof by the governor, the legislature, or 992
a majority of the executive council three cabinet members. 993
Incapacity to serve as governor may also be established by 994
certificate filed with the custodian of state records by the 995
governor declaring incapacity for physical reasons to serve as 996
governor, and in such case restoration of capacity shall be 997
similarly established. 998
SECTION 4. Cabinet.— 999
(a) There shall be a cabinet composed of the lieutenant 1000

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governor, an attorney general, an auditor general, a 1001
commissioner of health and insurance, a commissioner of labor, a 1002
commissioner of lands, a commissioner of education, a controller 1003
a chief financial officer, and a commissioner of agriculture. In 1004
addition to the powers and duties specified herein, they shall 1005
exercise such powers and perform such duties as may be 1006
prescribed by law. In the event of a tie vote of the governor 1007
and cabinet, the side on which the governor voted shall be 1008
deemed to prevail. A vacancy in the cabinet shall be filled 1009
using the line of succession for governor. 1010
(b) The attorney general shall be the chief state legal 1011
officer. There is created in the office of the attorney general 1012
the position of statewide prosecutor. The statewide prosecutor 1013
shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the state attorneys to 1014
prosecute violations of criminal laws occurring or having 1015
occurred, in two or more judicial circuits as part of a related 1016
transaction, or when any such offense is affecting or has 1017
affected two or more judicial circuits as provided by general 1018
law. The statewide prosecutor shall be appointed by the attorney 1019
general from not less than three persons nominated by the 1020
judicial nominating commission for the supreme court, or as 1021
otherwise provided by general law. The attorney general shall 1022
have authority over the Human Rights Commission, the Florida 1023
Commission on offender review, the Department of Elderly 1024
Affairs, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of 1025

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Corrections, the division of administrative hearings, 1026
responsibilities and duties related to consumer affairs, and 1027
responsibilities and duties related to the licensing and 1028
regulation of firearms. 1029
(c) The controller chief financial officer shall serve as 1030
the chief fiscal officer of the state, and shall settle and 1031
approve accounts against the state, and shall keep all state 1032
funds and securities. The controller shall have authority over 1033
the Department of Revenue, the division of management services, 1034
and the Department of Financial Services. 1035
(d) The commissioner of agriculture shall have supervision 1036
of matters pertaining to agriculture except as otherwise 1037
provided by law. 1038
(e) The commissioner of labor shall have supervision of 1039
matters concerning labor, including all labor-related duties of 1040
the Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional 1041
Regulation, all duties of the secretary of commerce, and shall 1042
be the head of a department of labor. The commissioner shall be 1043
responsible for workplace inspections, other than inspections 1044
related to agriculture, and shall establish a board of 1045
occupations health and safety. 1046
(f) The auditor general shall be responsible for auditing 1047
public records and accounts. The annual appropriation for the 1048
work of the auditor general may not be less than the amount 1049
appropriated for the previous year, adjusted upward for 1050

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inflation. 1051
(g) The commissioner of health and insurance shall have 1052
supervision over matters concerning insurance regulation and 1053
health, including all duties as the commissioner of insurance 1054
and shall have authority over the Florida housing finance 1055
corporation, the Department of Health, the Agency for Persons 1056
with Disabilities, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor 1057
Vehicles, and housing-related authority of the Department of 1058
Business and Professional Regulation. The surgeon general shall 1059
report to the commissioner of health and insurance. 1060
(h) The commissioner of education shall have supervision 1061
of matters pertaining to education and shall have authority over 1062
the Department of Education and the Department of Children and 1063
Families. 1064
(i) The commissioner of lands shall have supervision over 1065
the recording of property deeds and titles. The commissioner of 1066
lands is the head of the General Land Office and shall have 1067
authority over the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1068
the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Department 1069
of Transportation. 1070
(e) The governor as chair, the controller chief financial 1071
officer, and the attorney general shall constitute the state 1072
board of administration, which shall succeed to all the power, 1073
control, and authority of the state board of administration 1074
established pursuant to Article IX, Section 16 of the 1075

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Constitution of 1885, and which shall continue as a body at 1076
least for the life of Article XII, Section 9(c). 1077
(f) The governor as chair, the controller chief financial 1078
officer, the attorney general, and the commissioner of 1079
agriculture shall constitute the trustees of the internal 1080
improvement trust fund and the land acquisition trust fund as 1081
provided by law. 1082
(g) The governor as chair, the chief financial officer, 1083
the attorney general, and the commissioner of agriculture shall 1084
serve as constitute the agency head of the Department of Law 1085
Enforcement. The Office of Domestic Security and 1086
Counterterrorism is created within the Department of Law 1087
Enforcement. The Office of Domestic Security and 1088
Counterterrorism shall provide support for prosecutors and 1089
federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that 1090
investigate or analyze information relating to attempts or acts 1091
of terrorism or that prosecute terrorism, and shall perform any 1092
other duties that are provided by law. 1093
SECTION 5. Election of governor, lieutenant governor and 1094
cabinet members; qualifications; terms.— 1095
(a) At a state-wide general election in each calendar year 1096
the number of which is even but not a multiple of four, the 1097
electors shall choose a governor and a lieutenant governor and 1098
members of the cabinet each for a term of four years beginning 1099
on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January of the 1100

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succeeding year. In primary elections, candidates for the office 1101
of governor may choose to run without a lieutenant governor 1102
candidate. In the general election, all Candidates for the 1103
offices of governor and lieutenant governor shall be elected 1104
separately form joint candidacies in a manner prescribed by law 1105
so that each voter shall cast a single vote for a candidate for 1106
governor and a candidate for lieutenant governor running 1107
together. 1108
(b) When elected, the governor, lieutenant governor and 1109
each cabinet member must be an elector not less than thirty 1110
years of age who has resided in the state for the preceding 1111
seven years. The attorney general must have been a member of the 1112
bar of Florida for the preceding five years. No person who has, 1113
or but for resignation would have, served as governor or acting 1114
governor for more than six years in two consecutive terms shall 1115
be elected governor for the succeeding term. 1116
SECTION 6. Executive departments.—All functions of the 1117
executive branch of state government shall be allotted among not 1118
more than twenty-five departments, exclusive of those 1119
specifically provided for or authorized in this constitution. 1120
The administration of each department, unless otherwise provided 1121
in this constitution, shall be placed by law under the direct 1122
supervision of the governor, the lieutenant governor, the 1123
governor and cabinet, a cabinet member, or an officer or board 1124
appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the governor, 1125

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except: 1126
(a) When provided by law, Confirmation by a majority of 1127
the members of the senate in a public hearing noticed in advance 1128
or the approval of three members of the cabinet shall be 1129
required for appointment to or removal from any: 1130
(1) Elected designated statutory office. 1131
(2) Position as a head of an agency. 1132
(3) Position on a board of trustees. 1133
(4) Position appointed by the governor on any board or 1134
authority. 1135
(5) Judicial appointments by the governor. 1136
1137
If the confirmation is not finalized during the next scheduled 1138
legislative session after the appointment, the appointment shall 1139
be deemed rejected. A person who is not confirmed within one 1140
hundred eighty days after being appointed must resign the 1141
appointment. A member of the senate who takes part in the 1142
confirmation hearing must disclose any conflict of interest. If 1143
the confirmation is for statewide office or the board of utility 1144
directors, there must be at least two hearings lasting at least 1145
two hours each before the vote to confirm. The prospective 1146
appointee must testify in person unless such person is unable to 1147
testify because of a medical emergency. 1148
(b) Boards authorized to grant and revoke licenses to 1149
engage in regulated occupations shall be assigned to appropriate 1150

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departments and their members appointed for fixed terms, subject 1151
to removal only for cause. 1152
(c) Every four years the legislature shall appoint the 1153
secretary of state in a joint session held immediately after the 1154
general election in which the governor is elected. 1155
SECTION 7. Suspensions; filling office during 1156
suspensions.— 1157
(a) By executive order stating the grounds and filed with 1158
the custodian of state records, the governor may suspend from 1159
office any state officer not subject to impeachment, any officer 1160
of the militia not in the active service of the United States, 1161
or any county officer, indicted for a crime malfeasance, 1162
misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, 1163
permanent inability to perform official duties, or commission of 1164
a felony, and may fill the office by appointment for the period 1165
of suspension. The suspended officer may at any time before 1166
removal be reinstated by the governor. 1167
(b) The senate may, in proceedings prescribed by law, 1168
remove from office or reinstate the suspended official and for 1169
such purpose the senate may be convened in special session by 1170
its president or by a majority of its membership. 1171
(c) By order of the governor any elected municipal officer 1172
indicted for crime may be suspended from office until acquitted 1173
and the office filled by appointment for the period of 1174
suspension, not to extend beyond the term, unless these powers 1175

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are vested elsewhere by law or the municipal charter. 1176
SECTION 14. General land office.—There shall be a general 1177
land office that shall register all instruments relating to the 1178
ownership, transfer, or encumbrance of or claims against real 1179
property including deeds, leases, bills of sales, agreements, 1180
mortgages, notices of claims of lien, notices of levy, tax 1181
warrants, and tax executions, and the extensions, assignments 1182
releases, cancellations, or satisfactions of mortgages and 1183
liens. The commissioner of lands shall coordinate with each 1184
clerk of circuit court to transfer all existing instruments to 1185
the possession of the general land office. The legislature shall 1186
set fees for the recording of instruments at a level to allow 1187
the office to be self-sustaining. 1188
SECTION 15. Executive council.—There shall be an executive 1189
council composed of eleven executive councilors. 1190
(a) The independent redistricting commission responsible 1191
for representative redistricting shall divide the state into 1192
eleven districts, using the same criteria used for 1193
representative districts. One executive councilor shall be 1194
elected from each district at a general election to serve 1195
staggered four-year terms. Elections shall be partisan. The 1196
executive council shall have the following duties: 1197
(1) When requested by the governor, provide advice on 1198
affairs of the state. 1199
(2) Review state contracts of more than two hundred and 1200

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fifty thousand dollars. The council may reject a contract by a 1201
majority vote. The value of contracts under this paragraph shall 1202
be adjusted annually on January 1 of each year for inflation 1203
using the percent change in the Consumer Price Index for All 1204
Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average, all items 1967=100, or 1205
successor reports for the preceding calendar year as initially 1206
reported by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of 1207
Labor Statistics, if such percent change is positive. 1208
(3) Review all pardon decisions made by the governor. The 1209
council may override the decision made by the governor by a 1210
majority vote. 1211
(4) For any position for which a nominating council is 1212
used, except for judicial nominations, the executive council 1213
shall choose the nominee to fill the open position. 1214
(5) Approve the budget by a majority vote. 1215
(b) A vacancy in the executive council shall be filled in 1216
the same manner as a vacancy in the legislature. 1217
(c) All resolutions and advice of the council must be 1218
recorded in writing by a member selected as secretary. Each 1219
member must sign the record to demonstrate he or she agrees with 1220
the accuracy of the record. If a member wishes to enter a 1221
dissenting opinion he or she may do so in writing. 1222
(d) Executive councilors shall be subject to the same 1223
staffing and salary rules as the legislature. 1224
(e) Each executive councilor shall be at least twenty-one 1225

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years of age, an elector and resident of the district from which 1226
elected, and shall have resided in the state for a minimum of 1227
two years before election. 1228
(f) The executive councilors shall elect a chair for 1229
organizational purposes only. 1230
SECTION 16. Board of utility directors.—There shall be a 1231
board of utility directors composed of eleven utility directors. 1232
The commissioner of health and insurance and an ombudsman 1233
representing the interests of residents of the state shall be 1234
nonvoting members of the board. 1235
(a) The independent redistricting commission responsible 1236
for senatorial redistricting shall divide the state into eleven 1237
districts, using the same criteria used for senatorial 1238
districts. One utility director shall be elected from each 1239
district at an election held on the second Tuesday in March to 1240
serve staggered four-year terms. Elections shall be partisan. 1241
(b) A vacancy in the board of utility directors shall be 1242
filled in the same manner as a vacancy in the legislature. 1243
(c) Utility directors shall be subject to the same 1244
staffing and salary rules as the legislature. 1245
(d) A utility director, or a nominee for director, or a 1246
parent, spouse, child, sibling, parent-in-law, child-in-law, or 1247
sibling-in-law, or the cohabitating member of a household of 1248
such member or nominee, may not accept anything of value from 1249
any utility company, individual tied to a utility company, or 1250

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political committee that has ties to a utility company. 1251
(e) Each utility director shall be at least twenty-one 1252
years of age, an elector and resident of the district from which 1253
elected, and shall have resided in the state for a period of two 1254
years before election. 1255
(f) The utility directors shall elect a chair for 1256
organizational purposes only. 1257
SECTION 17. Board of equalization.—There shall be a board 1258
of equalization composed of eleven members. The board is 1259
responsible for overseeing tax administration and collection. 1260
(a) The independent redistricting commission responsible 1261
for senatorial redistricting shall divide the state into eleven 1262
districts, using the same criteria used for senatorial 1263
districts. One member shall be elected from each district at a 1264
general election to serve staggered four-year terms. Elections 1265
shall be partisan. 1266
(b) A vacancy in the board of equalization shall be filled 1267
in the same manner as a vacancy in the legislature. 1268
(c) The members of the board of equalization shall be 1269
subject to the same staffing and salary rules as the 1270
legislature. 1271
(d) Each member of the board of equalization shall be at 1272
least twenty-one years of age, an elector and resident of the 1273
district from which elected, and shall have resided in the state 1274
for a period of two years before election. 1275

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(e) The members of the board of equalization shall elect a 1276
chair for organizational purposes only. 1277
ARTICLE V 1278
JUDICIARY 1279
SECTION 11. Vacancies.— 1280
(a) Whenever a vacancy occurs in a judicial office to 1281
which election for retention applies, the attorney general 1282
governor shall fill the vacancy by appointing for a term ending 1283
on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January of the 1284
year following the next general election occurring at least one 1285
year after the date of appointment, one of not fewer than three 1286
persons nor more than six persons nominated by the appropriate 1287
judicial nominating commission. 1288
(b) The attorney general governor shall fill each vacancy 1289
on a circuit court or on a county court, wherein the judges are 1290
elected by a majority vote of the electors, by appointing for a 1291
term ending on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in 1292
January of the year following the next primary and general 1293
election occurring at least one year after the date of 1294
appointment, one of not fewer than three persons nor more than 1295
six persons nominated by the appropriate judicial nominating 1296
commission. An election shall be held to fill that judicial 1297
office for the term of the office beginning at the end of the 1298
appointed term. 1299
(c) The nominations shall be made within thirty days from 1300

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the occurrence of a vacancy unless the period is extended by the 1301
governor for a time not to exceed thirty days. The attorney 1302
general governor shall make the appointment within thirty sixty 1303
days from the occurrence of a vacancy after the nominations have 1304
been certified to the governor. 1305
(d) There shall be a separate judicial nominating 1306
commission as provided by general law for the supreme court, 1307
each district court of appeal, and each judicial circuit for all 1308
trial courts within the circuit. Uniform rules of procedure 1309
shall be established by the judicial nominating commissions at 1310
each level of the court system. Such rules, or any part thereof, 1311
may be repealed by general law enacted by a majority vote of the 1312
membership of each house of the legislature, or by the supreme 1313
court, five justices concurring. Except for deliberations of the 1314
judicial nominating commissions, the proceedings of the 1315
commissions and their records shall be open to the public. 1316
(e) The list created by the judicial nominating commission 1317
must be used and may not be rejected completely. 1318
ARTICLE VII 1319
SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS 1320
SECTION 4. Disqualifications.— 1321
(a) No person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in 1322
this or any other state to be mentally incompetent, shall be 1323
qualified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil 1324
rights or removal of disability. Except as provided in 1325

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subsection (b) of this section, any disqualification from voting 1326
arising from a felony conviction shall terminate and voting 1327
rights shall be restored upon completion of all terms of 1328
sentence including parole or probation. 1329
(b) No person convicted of murder or a felony sexual 1330
offense shall be qualified to vote until restoration of civil 1331
rights. 1332
(c) No person may appear on the ballot for re-election to 1333
any of the following offices: 1334
(1) Florida representative, 1335
(2) Florida senator, 1336
(3) Florida Lieutenant governor, 1337
(4) any office of the Florida cabinet, 1338
(3)(5) U.S. Representative from Florida, or 1339
(4)(6) U.S. Senator from Florida 1340
1341
if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will 1342
have served (or, but for resignation, would have served) in that 1343
office for eight consecutive years. 1344
(d) No person may appear on the ballot for re-election to 1345
any of the following offices: 1346
(1) Lieutenant governor, or 1347
(2) any office of the cabinet 1348
1349
if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will 1350

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have served or, but for resignation would have served, in that 1351
office for twelve consecutive years. 1352
SECTION 8. Recall of elected officials.— 1353
(a) Any statewide elected official and member of the 1354
legislature may be removed from office by the electors pursuant 1355
to this section. 1356
(b)(1) In order to begin the recall process, the following 1357
number of proponents of the recall must sign a notice of 1358
intention: 1359
a. For a statewide office or a legislative member 1360
representing a district with at least one hundred thousand 1361
residents, five percent of the total number of registered 1362
electors in the electoral district or fifty proponents, 1363
whichever is greater. 1364
b. For a legislative member representing a district of at 1365
least one thousand residents but less than one hundred thousand 1366
residents, three percent of the total number of registered 1367
electors in the electoral district or thirty proponents, 1368
whichever is greater. 1369
c. For a legislative member representing a district of 1370
less than one thousand residents, thirty proponents. 1371
(c) The notice of intention must include the name of the 1372
person subject to potential recall, the office or legislative 1373
district he or she serves, a statement of two hundred words or 1374
less describing the reasons for recall, and the names and 1375

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residential and mailing addresses of the required number of 1376
proponents of the recall. 1377
(d) The notice of intention must be served on the person 1378
subject to recall, published in a newspaper of general 1379
circulation, and filed with the secretary of state. 1380
(e) If the secretary of state determines the notice of 1381
recall is sufficient, the secretary of state shall provide a 1382
petition that may be used to collect signatures for the recall. 1383
Proponents may submit an alternative petition format that may be 1384
used upon approval by the secretary of state. The petition must 1385
require that each person signing the petition write, by his or 1386
her own hand, his or her signature, printed name, and 1387
residential address, including zip code. Only registered 1388
electors from the electoral district of the officer or member 1389
subject to the recall petition may sign a petition. 1390
(f) Petitions must only be circulated by an elector 1391
registered to vote in the electoral district of the officer or 1392
member subject to the recall petition. A petition circulator 1393
must sign a declaration verifying that he or she meets the 1394
requirements of this subsection. 1395
(g) A petition for recall must collect the following 1396
number of verified signatures: 1397
(1) For statewide office, there must be verified 1398
signatures from at least six counties in which the number of 1399
signatures in each county is more than 3 percent of the number 1400

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of votes cast in the most recent election for such office, and 1401
the total number of signatures must be greater than 12 percent 1402
of the number of votes cast in the most recent election for such 1403
office. 1404
(2) For a legislative district, the total number of 1405
verified signatures must be greater than twenty percent of the 1406
number of votes case in the most recent election for such 1407
district. 1408
(h) Completed petitions for the recall of a statewide 1409
officer may be submitted to the supervisor of elections for the 1410
county in which the petition was circulated. The supervisor of 1411
elections shall verify the signatures either manually, if there 1412
are less than five hundred signatures, or by a random sampling 1413
method. The supervisor of elections shall update the secretary 1414
of state on the number of verified signatures every thirty days. 1415
(i) Completed petitions for the recall of a member of the 1416
legislature shall be returned to a supervisor of elections of a 1417
county within the electoral district of the member subject to 1418
the petition. The supervisor of elections shall verify the 1419
signatures either manually, if there are less than five hundred 1420
signatures, or by a random sampling method. 1421
(h) Within fourteen days after the required number of 1422
verified signatures have been collected, a recall election shall 1423
be scheduled within one hundred twenty days, unless there is 1424
general election scheduled within one hundred eighty days, in 1425

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which case the recall will be held at the general election. 1426
(i) For a statewide office, a person who qualifies as a 1427
candidate for the office may submit himself or herself as a 1428
possible replacement sixty days or more before the recall 1429
election. The person subject to recall may not be a possible 1430
replacement. 1431
(j) For the recall of a statewide office the ballot shall 1432
read substantially as follows: "Shall (name of the statewide 1433
officer subject to recall) be recalled from (title of office)?" 1434
and include the list of replacement candidates who qualified 1435
under subsection (i). If a majority of electors vote in favor of 1436
the recall, the replacement candidate with the most votes shall 1437
take office for the remainder of the term. 1438
(k) For the recall of a member of the legislature, the 1439
ballot shall read substantially as follows: "Shall (name of the 1440
member of the legislature) be recalled from office as a member 1441
of the Florida (name of the house of the legislature in which 1442
such person serves)?". 1443
ARTICLE VIII 1444
LOCAL GOVERNMENT 1445
SECTION 1. Counties.— 1446
(a) POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS. The state shall be divided by 1447
law into political subdivisions called counties. Counties may be 1448
created, abolished or changed by law, with provision for payment 1449
or apportionment of the public debt. 1450

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(b) COUNTY FUNDS. The care, custody and method of 1451
disbursing county funds shall be provided by general law. 1452
(c) GOVERNMENT. Pursuant to general or special law, a 1453
county government may be established by charter which shall be 1454
adopted, amended or repealed only upon vote of the electors of 1455
the county in a special election called for that purpose. 1456
(d) COUNTY OFFICERS. There shall be elected by the 1457
electors of each county, for terms of four years, a sheriff, a 1458
tax collector, a property appraiser, a supervisor of elections, 1459
and a clerk of the circuit court. Unless otherwise provided by 1460
special law approved by vote of the electors or pursuant to 1461
Article V, section 16, the clerk of the circuit court shall be 1462
ex officio clerk of the board of county commissioners, auditor, 1463
recorder and custodian of all county funds. Notwithstanding 1464
subsection 6(e) of this article, a county charter may not 1465
abolish the office of a sheriff, a tax collector, a property 1466
appraiser, a supervisor of elections, or a clerk of the circuit 1467
court; transfer the duties of those officers to another officer 1468
or office; change the length of the four-year term of office; or 1469
establish any manner of selection other than by election by the 1470
electors of the county. 1471
(e) COMMISSIONERS. Except when otherwise provided by 1472
county charter, the governing body of each county shall be a 1473
board of county commissioners composed of five or seven members 1474
serving staggered terms of four years. After each decennial 1475

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census the board of county commissioners shall divide the county 1476
into districts of contiguous territory as nearly equal in 1477
population as practicable. One commissioner residing in each 1478
district shall be elected as provided by law. 1479
(f) NON-CHARTER GOVERNMENT. Counties not operating under 1480
county charters shall have such power of self-government as is 1481
provided by general or special law. The board of county 1482
commissioners of a county not operating under a charter may 1483
enact, in a manner prescribed by general law, county ordinances 1484
not inconsistent with general or special law, but an ordinance 1485
in conflict with a municipal ordinance shall not be effective 1486
within the municipality to the extent of such conflict. A non-1487
charter government county may choose to adopt a charter upon a 1488
petition by forty percent of the number of the electors who 1489
participated in the most recent general election. 1490
(g) CHARTER GOVERNMENT. Counties operating under county 1491
charters shall have all powers of local self-government not 1492
inconsistent with general law, or with special law approved by 1493
vote of the electors. The governing body of a county operating 1494
under a charter may enact county ordinances not inconsistent 1495
with general law. The charter shall provide which shall prevail 1496
in the event of conflict between county and municipal 1497
ordinances. 1498
(h) TAXES; LIMITATION. Property situate within 1499
municipalities shall not be subject to taxation for services 1500

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rendered by the county exclusively for the benefit of the 1501
property or residents in unincorporated areas. 1502
(i) COUNTY ORDINANCES. Each county ordinance shall be 1503
filed with the custodian of state records and shall become 1504
effective at such time thereafter as is provided by general law. 1505
(j) VIOLATION OF ORDINANCES. Persons violating county 1506
ordinances shall be prosecuted and punished as provided by law. 1507
(k) COUNTY SEAT. In every county there shall be a county 1508
seat at which shall be located the principal offices and 1509
permanent records of all county officers. The county seat may 1510
not be moved except as provided by general law. Branch offices 1511
for the conduct of county business may be established elsewhere 1512
in the county by resolution of the governing body of the county 1513
in the manner prescribed by law. No instrument shall be deemed 1514
recorded until filed at the county seat, or a branch office 1515
designated by the governing body of the county for the recording 1516
of instruments, according to law. 1517
ARTICLE IX 1518
EDUCATION 1519
SECTION 7. State University System.— 1520
(a) PURPOSES. In order to achieve excellence through 1521
teaching students, advancing research and providing public 1522
service for the benefit of Florida's citizens, their communities 1523
and economies, the people hereby establish a system of 1524
governance for the state university system of Florida. 1525

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(b) STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM. There shall be a single 1526
state university system comprised of all public universities. A 1527
board of trustees shall administer each public university and a 1528
board of control board of governors shall govern the state 1529
university system. 1530
(c) LOCAL BOARDS OF TRUSTEES. Each local constituent 1531
university shall be administered by a board of trustees 1532
consisting of thirteen members dedicated to the purposes of the 1533
state university system. The board of control board of governors 1534
shall establish the powers and duties of the boards of trustees. 1535
Each board of trustees shall consist of six citizen members 1536
appointed by the governor and five citizen members appointed by 1537
the board of control board of governors. The appointed members 1538
shall be confirmed by the senate and serve staggered terms of 1539
five years as provided by law. The chair of the faculty senate, 1540
or the equivalent, and the president of the student body of the 1541
university shall also be members. 1542
(d) STATEWIDE BOARD OF CONTROL GOVERNORS. The board of 1543
control governors shall be an elected independent a body 1544
corporate consisting of eleven seventeen members. The 1545
independent redistricting commission responsible for senatorial 1546
redistricting shall divide the state into eleven districts, 1547
using the same criteria used for senatorial districts. One 1548
member of the board of control shall be elected from each 1549
district at a general election to serve staggered four-year 1550

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terms. Elections shall be nonpartisan. The board shall operate, 1551
regulate, control, and be fully responsible for the management 1552
of the whole university system. These responsibilities shall 1553
include, but not be limited to, defining the distinctive mission 1554
of each constituent university and its articulation with free 1555
public schools and community colleges, ensuring the well-planned 1556
coordination and operation of the system, making employment 1557
decisions for university leadership and administration of 1558
universities, making recommendations to the taxation and budget 1559
reform commission, and avoiding wasteful duplication of 1560
facilities or programs. The board's management shall be subject 1561
to the powers of the legislature to appropriate for the 1562
expenditure of funds, and the board shall account for such 1563
expenditures as provided by law. The governor shall appoint to 1564
the board fourteen citizens dedicated to the purposes of the 1565
state university system. The appointed members shall be 1566
confirmed by the senate and serve staggered terms of seven years 1567
as provided by law. The commissioner of education and one 1568
student representative, one faculty representative, and one 1569
nonfaculty staff representative from each state university, the 1570
chair of the advisory council of faculty senates, or the 1571
equivalent, and the president of the Florida student 1572
association, or the equivalent, shall also be nonvoting members 1573
of the board. A vacancy on the board of control shall be filled 1574
in the same manner as a vacancy in the legislature. Members of 1575

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the board of control shall be subject to the same staffing and 1576
salary rules as the legislature. Each member of the board of 1577
control shall be at least twenty years of age, be an elector and 1578
a resident of the district from which elected, and have resided 1579
in the state for a period of two years before election. Members 1580
of the board of control shall elect a chair for organizational 1581
purposes only. 1582
(e) FEES. Any proposal or action of a constituent 1583
university to raise, impose, or authorize any fee, as authorized 1584
by law, must be approved by at least nine affirmative votes of 1585
the members of the board of trustees of the constituent 1586
university, if approval by the board of trustees is required by 1587
general law, and at least twelve affirmative votes of the 1588
members of the board of control board of governors, if approval 1589
by the board of control board of governors is required by 1590
general law, in order to take effect. A fee under this 1591
subsection shall not include tuition. 1592
ARTICLE XI 1593
AMENDMENTS 1594
SECTION 1. Proposal by legislature.—Amendment of a section 1595
or revision of one or more articles, or the whole, of this 1596
constitution may be proposed by joint resolution agreed to by 1597
three-fifths of the membership of each house of the legislature. 1598
The full text of the joint resolution and the vote of each 1599
member voting shall be entered on the journal of each house. 1600

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However, before such resolution may be placed on the ballot the 1601
legislature must explain the amendment in at least two public 1602
hearings in each appellate district and two public hearings in 1603
any county with a population of one million or more. All 1604
meetings and hearings held by the commission shall be adequately 1605
advertised and planned to ensure the public is able to attend 1606
and participate fully. Meetings and hearings must have 1607
advertisements in, at minimum, English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, 1608
and Portuguese. 1609
SECTION 3. Initiative.—The power to propose the revision 1610
or amendment of any portion or portions of this constitution by 1611
initiative is reserved to the people, provided that, any such 1612
revision or amendment, except for those limiting the power of 1613
government to raise revenue, shall embrace but one subject and 1614
matter directly connected therewith. It may be invoked by filing 1615
with the custodian of state records a petition containing a copy 1616
of the proposed revision or amendment, signed by a number of 1617
electors in each of one half of the congressional districts of 1618
the state, and of the state as a whole, equal to eight percent 1619
of the votes cast in each of such districts respectively and in 1620
the state as a whole in the last preceding election in which 1621
presidential electors were chosen. This section is the only 1622
authority regulating the initiative process. Any other law, 1623
rule, or ordinance concerning the initiative process that has 1624
gone into effect after January 1, 1999, is void. 1625

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SECTION 5. Amendment or revision election.— 1626
(a) A proposed amendment to or revision of this 1627
constitution, or any part of it, shall be submitted to the 1628
electors at the next general election held more than ninety days 1629
after the joint resolution or report of revision commission, 1630
constitutional convention or taxation and budget reform 1631
commission proposing it is filed with the custodian of state 1632
records, unless, pursuant to law enacted by the affirmative vote 1633
of three-fourths of the membership of each house of the 1634
legislature and limited to a single amendment or revision, it is 1635
submitted at an earlier special election held more than ninety 1636
days after such filing. 1637
(b) A proposed amendment or revision of this constitution, 1638
or any part of it, by initiative shall be submitted to the 1639
electors at the general election provided the initiative 1640
petition is filed with the custodian of state records no later 1641
than February 1 of the year in which the general election is 1642
held. 1643
(c) The legislature shall provide by general law, prior to 1644
the holding of an election pursuant to this section, for the 1645
provision of a statement to the public regarding the probable 1646
financial impact of any amendment proposed by initiative 1647
pursuant to section 3. 1648
(d) Once in the tenth week, and once in the sixth week 1649
immediately preceding the week in which the election is held, 1650

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the proposed amendment or revision, with notice of the date of 1651
election at which it will be submitted to the electors, shall be 1652
published in one newspaper of general circulation in each county 1653
in which a newspaper is published. 1654
(e) Unless otherwise specifically provided for elsewhere 1655
in this constitution, if the proposed amendment or revision is 1656
approved by vote of at least fifty-five sixty percent of the 1657
electors voting on the measure, it shall be effective as an 1658
amendment to or revision of the constitution of the state on the 1659
first Tuesday after the first Monday in January following the 1660
election, or on such other date as may be specified in the 1661
amendment or revision. 1662
ARTICLE XII 1663
SCHEDULE 1664
Transfer of duties and powers.— 1665
(a) The statutory jurisdiction and duties of the chief 1666
financial officer shall be transferred as constitutional duties 1667
to the controller. Any statutory authority given to the governor 1668
over the Department of Revenue, the Department of Management 1669
Services, and the Department of Financial Services shall become 1670
constitutional authority of the controller. This subsection does 1671
not apply to statutory authority over appointments. 1672
(b) The statutory jurisdiction and duties of auditor 1673
general shall be transferred as constitutional duties to the 1674
elected auditor general. 1675

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(c) The statutory jurisdiction and duties of the 1676
commissioner of agriculture remaining after the application of 1677
this section shall be transferred as constitutional duties to 1678
the commissioner of agriculture. 1679
(d) Any statutory authority given to the governor over the 1680
division of emergency management, the state fire marshal, the 1681
Department of Veterans' Affairs, and the Department of Military 1682
Affairs shall become constitutional authority of the lieutenant 1683
governor. This subsection does not apply to statutory authority 1684
over appointments. 1685
(e) The statutory jurisdiction and duties of the secretary 1686
of commerce and the labor related jurisdiction and duties of the 1687
secretary of the department of business and professional 1688
regulation shall be transferred as constitutional duties to the 1689
commissioner of labor. Any statutory authority given to the 1690
governor over the Department of Commerce and the labor-related 1691
authority over the department of business and professional 1692
regulation shall become constitutional authority of the 1693
commissioner of labor. This subsection does not apply to 1694
statutory authority over appointments. 1695
(f) The statutory jurisdiction and duties given to the 1696
commissioner of agriculture over firearm regulation and consumer 1697
affairs shall transfer as constitutional duties to the attorney 1698
general. Any statutory authority given to the governor over the 1699
human rights commission, the commission on offender review, the 1700

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Department of Elderly Affairs, the Department of Juvenile 1701
Justice, the Department of Corrections, and the division of 1702
administrative hearings shall become constitutional authority of 1703
the attorney general. This subsection does not apply to 1704
statutory authority over appointments. 1705
(g) The statutory jurisdiction and duties given to the 1706
insurance commissioner shall transfer as constitutional duties 1707
to the commissioner of health and insurance. Any statutory 1708
authority given to the governor over the Florida housing finance 1709
corporation, the Department of Health, the agency for persons 1710
with disabilities, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor 1711
Vehicles, and housing-related authority of the Department of 1712
Business and Professional Regulation shall become constitutional 1713
authority of the commissioner of health and insurance. This 1714
subsection does not apply to statutory authority over 1715
appointments. 1716
(h) The statutory jurisdiction and duties of the 1717
commissioner of education shall be transferred as constitutional 1718
duties to the elected commissioner of education. Any statutory 1719
authority given to the governor over the Department of Education 1720
and the Department of Children and Families shall become the 1721
constitutional authority of the commissioner of education. This 1722
subsection does not apply to statutory authority over 1723
appointments. 1724
(i) The statutory jurisdiction and duties of the clerks of 1725

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courts related to the recording of instruments are transferred 1726
as constitutional duties to the commissioner of lands. Any 1727
statutory authority given to the governor over the Fish and 1728
Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Department of 1729
Environmental Protection, and the Department of Transportation 1730
shall become constitutional authority of the commissioner of 1731
lands. This subsection does not apply to statutory authority 1732
over appointments. 1733
(j) The statutory jurisdiction and duties of the public 1734
service commission are transferred as constitutional duties to 1735
the board of utility directors. 1736
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be 1737
placed on the ballot: 1738
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 1739
ARTICLE I, SECTION 24 1740
ARTICLE II, SECTION 2 1741
ARTICLE III, SECTIONS 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 15, 16, 17, AND 19 1742
ARTICLE IV, SECTIONS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, AND 17 1743
ARTICLE V, SECTION 11 1744
ARTICLE VII, SECTIONS 4 AND 8 1745
ARTICLE VIII, SECTION 1 1746
ARTICLE IX, SECTION 7 1747
ARTICLE XI, SECTIONS 1, 3, AND 5 1748
ARTICLE XII 1749

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REORGANIZATION OF FLORIDA GOVERNMENT.—Proposing an 1750
amendment to the State Constitution to move the seat of state 1751
government; revise the size and procedures of the Legislature; 1752
create new procedures for redistricting, vacancies and 1753
appointments are; revise the amendment process, create new 1754
cabinet positions, reorganize duties of the cabinet, allow 1755
recall elections, allow counties to become charter counties; and 1756
create a number of elected boards to provide oversight of the 1757
Governor, taxation, public utilities, and state universities. 1758
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be 1759
placed on the ballot if a court declares the preceding statement 1760
defective and the decision of the court is not reversed: 1761
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 1762
A ARTICLE I, SECTION 24 1763
ARTICLE II, SECTION 2 1764
ARTICLE III, SECTIONS 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 15, 16, 17, AND 19 1765
ARTICLE IV, SECTIONS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, AND 17 1766
ARTICLE V, SECTION 11 1767
ARTICLE VII, SECTIONS 4 AND 8 1768
ARTICLE VIII, SECTION 1 1769
ARTICLE IX, SECTION 7 1770
ARTICLE XI, SECTIONS 1, 3, AND 5 1771
ARTICLE XII 1772
REORGANIZATION OF FLORIDA GOVERNMENT.—Proposing amendments 1773
to the State Constitution to require public records and meetings 1774

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exemption of expire after 6 years unless a supermajority of each 1775
house votes to continue such exemption; move the seat of state 1776
government; revise the size of the Legislature; require each 1777
house to elect a presiding officer; require each house to 1778
designate an executive director; prohibit members from serving 1779
in more than one officer position including committee chair; 1780
allowing legislative officers to be removed; require members of 1781
the Legislature to be paid based the median household income of 1782
a resident of the state; require member training; create minimum 1783
staffing requirements and training for members and committees; 1784
require a Parliamentarian be selected to serve for a 10-year 1785
term; allow the Parliamentarian to only be removed with cause by 1786
a 2/3 vote; provide certain office space and resources to 1787
members; require members meet in an organizational session; 1788
require the Legislature to meet twice a year and for committees 1789
to meet during certain months; revising the membership needed to 1790
constitute a quorum; prohibit limits on debate and requires 1791
minimum time for debate of certain bills; create procedures to 1792
move a bill out of a committee or require a committee hear a 1793
bill; create procedures to end debate on a bill; revising 1794
requirements for posting of bills and amendments; prohibit votes 1795
during certain hours unless necessary to prevent a government 1796
shutdown; create independent Offices of Bill Drafting and 1797
Research; require livestreaming, video archiving, and 1798
transcripts of the Legislature; require legislative staff pass a 1799

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civil service exam; require certain committees to be created; 1800
provide requirements for selecting members for committees and 1801
subcommittees; revise committee procedures; revise procedures 1802
for debate and discussion on the floor; prohibit the veto of 1803
appropriations to the Legislature; require Legislative vacancies 1804
be filled by a special election within 120 days; create 1805
independent redistricting commissions for the House of 1806
Representatives, the Senate, and congressional districts; 1807
establish a screening panel and procedure to review commission 1808
applicants; provide that commissioners will be compensated at 1809
the legislative per diem rate; provide commission meeting 1810
requirements and responsibilities; provide that if a commission 1811
hires an attorney, the commission shall be considered the 1812
client; require at least 15 public hearings be held across the 1813
state; requiring each commission to draw district maps based 1814
solely on constitutional provisions; require that three final 1815
maps be approved by at least a two-thirds supermajority, 1816
including votes from at least two independent or minor party 1817
affiliates; require the Legislature to select one map from the 1818
three submitted, by a majority vote, not subject to a 1819
gubernatorial veto; provide that the Supreme Court shall have 1820
original and exclusive jurisdiction over any litigation related 1821
to a district map; provide that if the Legislature fails to 1822
adopt a joint resolution, the Supreme Court shall select the 1823
most compact map from the three submitted, but may not amend any 1824

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map; provide that if the Supreme Court finds the Legislature's 1825
adopted map invalid, the Governor shall reconvene the 1826
commissions to create a lawful replacement; create a nonpartisan 1827
revenue estimating conference; require counties receive services 1828
relative to the amount of tax revenue the county generates; 1829
require certain programs be reviewed on a regular schedule; 1830
revise the positions requiring Senate confirmation; require 1831
confirmations hearings be public, noticed in advanced, and that 1832
participants appear in person and disclose conflicts; revise how 1833
vacancies are filled; requiring amendments to the State 1834
Constitution to be shared in public meetings across the state; 1835
prohibit regulation of the amendment or initiative process; 1836
declare existing regulations passed after a certain date to be 1837
void; revise downward the required vote to amend the 1838
constitution to 55 percent; revise the line of succession for 1839
the Governor and cabinet; require the Lieutenant Governor be 1840
elected separately from the Governor; revise the duties of the 1841
Lieutenant Governor and cabinet; create new cabinet positions of 1842
the Auditor General, the Commissioner of Lands, the Health and 1843
Insurance Commissioner, the Labor Commissioner, and the 1844
Education Commissioner; replace the Chief Financial Officer with 1845
a position of Controller; transfer the Governor's authority over 1846
certain departments to members of the cabinet; prohibit the 1847
Governor from removing elected officials from office unless such 1848
official is charged with a crime; require the Legislature to 1849

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select the Secretary of State; create a General Land Office 1850
responsible for the managing all property instruments and 1851
recording duties; create an elected Executive Council that 1852
provides guidance to the Governor and may override contracts and 1853
pardons, make nominations, and must approve the budget; create 1854
an elected Board of Equalization to oversee tax and 1855
administration and make recommendations to the tax and budget 1856
reform commission; replace the Board of Governors with an 1857
elected Board of Control to oversee state universities; replace 1858
the Florida Public Service Commission with an elected Board of 1859
Utility Directors; allow the recall of statewide officers and 1860
members of the Legislature; and allow counties without charters 1861
to become charter counties. 1862