CS/HB 1567 2024
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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 qualifications for county emergency 2
management directors; amending s. 252.38, F.S.; 3
requiring county emergency management directors to 4
meet specified qualifications; requiring such 5
directors to meet such qualifications by a specified 6
date; providing an effective date. 7
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 9
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Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 11
252.38, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 12
252.38 Emergency management powers of political 13
subdivisions.—Safeguarding the life and property of its citizens 14
is an innate responsibility of the governing body of each 15
political subdivision of the state. 16
(1) COUNTIES.— 17
(b)1. Each county emergency management agency created and 18
established pursuant to ss. 252.31 -252.90 shall have a director. 19
The director must meet the following minimum training and 20
education qualifications : 21
a. A bachelor's degree. 22
b. Six years of verifiable experience in emergency 23
services, emergency management, emergency planning, law 24
enforcement, or fire -fighting services, of which at least 3 25
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years must be supervisory experience in emergency management, 26
responses, or operations for a coun ty or municipality. 27
c. A master's degree in emergency preparedness or 28
management, business or public administration, communications, 29
finance, homeland security, public health, criminal justice, 30
meteorology, or environmental science may be substituted for 2 31
of the years of experience required in sub -subparagraph 1.b. but 32
not for the required years of supervisory experience. 33
d. Completion of the following National Incident 34
Management System courses, or equivalent courses established by 35
the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the Emergency 36
Management Institute: 37
I. ICS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System; 38
II. ICS-200: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action 39
Incidents; 40
III. IS-700: National Incident Management System, An 41
Introduction; 42
IV. IS-703: NIMS Resource Management; and 43
V. IS-800: National Response Framework, An Introduction. 44
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A valid accreditation as a Certified Master Exercise 46
Practitioner by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 47
Certified Emergency Manager, or Florida Professional Emergency 48
Manager will satisfy the requirements of this sub -subparagraph. 49
e. A valid driver license. If the license is not a Florida 50
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driver license, the director must obtain a Florida driver 51
license within 30 days of being appointed as director. 52
2. established in a job description approved by the 53
county. The director shall be appointed by the board of county 54
commissioners or the chief administrative officer of the county, 55
as described in chapter 125 or the county charter, if 56
applicable, to serve at the pleasure of the appointing 57
authority, in conformance with applicable resolutions, 58
ordinances, and laws. 59
3. A county constitutional officer, or an employee of a 60
county constitutional officer, may be appointed as director 61
following prior notification to the division. 62
4. Each board of county commissioners shall promptly 63
inform the division of the appointment of the director and other 64
personnel. 65
5. Each director has direct responsibility for the 66
organization, administration, and opera tion of the county 67
emergency management agency. The director shall coordinate 68
emergency management activities, services, and programs within 69
the county and shall serve as liaison to the division and other 70
local emergency management agencies and organizatio ns. 71
Section 2. A county emergency management director who does 72
not satisfy the training or certification requirements of 73
section 1 of this act as of July 1, 2024, shall have until June 74
30, 2026, to complete such requirements. 75
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Section 3. This act sh all take effect July 1, 2024. 76