CS/CS/HB 57 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0057-02-c2
Page 1 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to county commissioner term limits; 2
creating s. 124.012, F.S.; establishing term limits 3
for county commissioners; prohibiting specified 4
persons from seeking certain offices until after a 5
specified timeframe; providing applicability; 6
providing construction; requiring certain counties to 7
hold a referendum election on a specified date; 8
providing for the referendum election; providing the 9
form for the ballot title and referendum question; 10
providing an effective date. 11
12
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13
14
Section 1. Section 124.012, Florida Statutes, is created 15
to read: 16
124.012 Term limits of county commissioners. — 17
(1) Notwithstanding the terms of any county charter to the 18
contrary, a person may not appear on the ballot for reelection 19
to the office of county commissioner if, by the end of his or 20
her current term of office, the person will have served, or but 21
for resignation would have served, in that office for 8 22
consecutive years. The person may not qualify for or appear on 23
the ballot for a different district seat of the county 24
commission or an at-large county commission seat of the county 25
CS/CS/HB 57 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0057-02-c2
Page 2 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
after his or her initial 8 -year term of office until 2 years 26
after the end date of his or her initial term. 27
(2) The term limits imposed by this section apply to 28
counties in which term limits are not imposed by a county 29
charter as of July 1, 2024, and service of a term of office 30
which commenced before November 5, 2024, may not be counted 31
toward the limitation imposed by this section. 32
(3)(a) This section does not supersede any term limit 33
imposed by a county charter which is more restrictive than the 34
term limit imposed by this section a nd does not authorize a 35
person subject to such term limits to serve an additional 8 36
consecutive years. 37
(b) A county whose charter authorizes county commissioners 38
to serve longer than the limits imposed by this section shall 39
hold a referendum election tha t coincides with the 2024 general 40
election to determine whether the limits imposed by this section 41
shall apply to such county. In the event such county rejects the 42
term limits imposed by this section, this section does not 43
apply. 44
Section 2. Referendum election.— 45
(1) A charter county whose charter limits county 46
commissioners from serving for a period longer than 8 47
consecutive years shall hold a referendum election on November 48
5, 2024. 49
(2) The ballot title for the referendum must be in 50
CS/CS/HB 57 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0057-02-c2
Page 3 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
substantially the following form: 51
52
COUNTY COMMISSIONER TERM LIMITS 53
54
(3) The referendum question must be in substantially the 55
following form: 56
57
Should the county prohibit county commissioners from 58
serving longer than 8 consecutive years? 59
60
(__) Yes. 61
(__) No. 62
63
(4) The referendum election must be conducted by the 64
supervisor of elections for each applicable county in accordance 65
with the Florida Election Code. 66
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 67