Florida Senate - 2022 CS for SB 1078 By the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources; and Senator Hutson 592-02256-22 20221078c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to soil and water conservation 3 districts; amending s. 582.15, F.S.; providing for the 4 subdivision of certain proposed soil and water 5 conservation districts; requiring the Department of 6 Agriculture and Consumer Services to subdivide certain 7 proposed soil and water conservation districts; 8 amending s. 582.18, F.S.; requiring the supervisors of 9 each soil and water conservation district to be 10 elected from each of the districts subdivisions; 11 providing for the initial terms of office of 12 candidates elected in each district subdivision; 13 amending s. 582.19, F.S.; providing qualification 14 requirements for supervisors to serve on the governing 15 body of a soil and water conservation district; 16 providing for the expiration of the terms of office of 17 certain supervisors serving on soil and water 18 conservation district governing bodies; providing for 19 the subdivision of certain soil and water conservation 20 districts by a specified date; requiring the 21 department to subdivide certain soil and water 22 conservation districts by a specified date; providing 23 transitional provisions regarding the implementation 24 of newly subdivided districts and the election of 25 supervisors; providing an effective date. 26 27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 28 29 Section 1.Subsection (4) is added to section 582.15, 30 Florida Statutes, to read: 31 582.15Organization of district, etc. 32 (4)After the Department of Agriculture and Consumer 33 Services has determined that operation of a proposed district is 34 administratively practicable and feasible, the district shall be 35 subdivided into five numbered subdivisions that match, as 36 practicable, the boundaries of either the five county commission 37 districts or five school board districts within the county. When 38 neither the county commission nor the school board is subdivided 39 into five districts, the department shall subdivide the district 40 into five numbered subdivisions as nearly equal in area as 41 practicable to ensure geographical representation within that 42 soil and water conservation districts governing body. 43 Section 2.Subsection (1) of section 582.18, Florida 44 Statutes, is amended to read: 45 582.18Election of supervisors of each district. 46 (1)The election of supervisors for each soil and water 47 conservation district shall be held every 2 years, with one 48 supervisor elected from each of the five numbered subdivisions 49 created by the department pursuant to s. 582.15(4). The 50 elections shall be held at the time of the general election 51 provided for by s. 100.041. The office of the supervisor of a 52 soil and water conservation district is a nonpartisan office, 53 and candidates for such office are prohibited from campaigning 54 or qualifying for election based on party affiliation. 55 (a)Each candidate for supervisor for such district must 56 shall qualify as directed by chapter 99. 57 (b)Each nominee who collects or expends campaign 58 contributions shall conduct her or his campaign for supervisor 59 of a soil and water conservation district in accordance with the 60 provisions of chapter 106. Candidates who neither receive 61 contributions nor make expenditures, other than expenditures for 62 verification of signatures on petitions, are exempt from the 63 provisions of chapter 106 requiring establishment of bank 64 accounts and appointment of a campaign treasurer, but shall file 65 periodic reports as required by s. 106.07. 66 (c)The names of all nominees on behalf of whom such 67 nominating petitions have been filed shall appear upon ballots 68 in accordance with the general election laws. All qualified 69 electors residing within the district shall be eligible to vote 70 in such election. The candidates who receive the largest number 71 of the votes cast from each group of candidates in such election 72 shall be the elected supervisors from such group for such 73 district. In the case of a newly created district participating 74 in a regular election for the first time, three groups of 75 candidates shall be elected from district subdivisions 1, 3, and 76 5 for terms of 4 years, and candidates two groups shall be 77 elected from district subdivisions 2 and 4 for initial terms of 78 2 years. Each candidate elected shall assume office on the first 79 Tuesday after the first Monday in January following the 80 election. 81 Section 3.Subsection (1) of section 582.19, Florida 82 Statutes, is amended to read: 83 582.19Qualifications and tenure of supervisors. 84 (1)The governing body of the district shall consist of 85 five supervisors, elected as provided in s. 582.18 hereinabove. 86 To qualify to serve on the governing body of a district, a 87 supervisor must be an eligible voter who resides within the 88 numbered subdivision from which she or he is elected and must be 89 actively engaged in the business of farming or animal husbandry. 90 Section 4.(1)The term of office of a supervisor serving 91 on a soil and water conservation districts governing body at 92 the time of this act becoming a law expires on January 10, 2023. 93 (2)By January 1, 2023, a district in existence on July 1, 94 2022, which was not subdivided in its initial creation pursuant 95 to chapter 582, Florida Statutes, must be subdivided into five 96 numbered subdivisions that match, as practicable, the boundaries 97 of either the five county commission districts or five school 98 board districts in the county. When neither the county 99 commission nor the school board is subdivided into five 100 districts, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 101 shall subdivide the district into five numbered subdivisions as 102 nearly equal in area as practicable to ensure geographical 103 representation within that soil and water conservation 104 districts governing body. 105 (3)The following procedures apply to the election of 106 supervisors of soil and water conservation districts subdivided 107 by the department pursuant to subsection (2): 108 (a)District governing body seats 1, 3, and 5, which have 109 terms that initially expired in January 2025 or 2027, as 110 applicable depending on the year in which the district was 111 formed, shall represent district subdivisions 1, 3, and 5, 112 respectively. Such seats shall be filled for a term of 4 years. 113 (b)District governing body seats 2 and 4, which have terms 114 that initially expired in January 2025 or 2027, as applicable 115 depending on the year in which the district was formed, shall 116 represent district subdivisions 2 and 4, respectively. Such 117 seats shall initially be filled for a term of 2 years in order 118 to achieve staggered terms; thereafter, any such seats shall be 119 filled for a term of 4 years as provided under s. 582.19, 120 Florida Statutes. 121 Section 5.This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.