Title: North Springs Improvement District, Broward County

Summary: Deletes certain residential & meeting requirements for members of board of supervisors of district; requires board to be elected by qualified electors of district; requires current board members to serve until certification of November 2024 general election results.

Full Text:
An act relating to North Springs Improvement District, Broward County; amending ch. 2005-341, Laws of Florida, as amended; revising a definition; deleting certain residential and meeting requirements for members of the Board of Supervisors of the North Springs Improvement District; providing an exception to general law; requiring the board to be elected by the qualified electors of the district; requiring current board members to serve until certification of the November 2024 general election results; conforming a cross-reference; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Subsection (11) of sec tion of section of chapter 2005-341, Laws of Florida, as amended by chapter 2007 285, Laws of Florida, and section of that section, are amended, to read: Section 4. Definitions.-Unless the context shall indicate otherwise, the following words as used in this act shall have the following meanings: (11) "Qualified elector" or "elector" means any person at least years of age who is a citizen of the United States, a permanent legal resident of Florida, the state and a resident of HB 1121 2020 the district and who registers to vote with the supervisor of elections of the Broward county in which the district lands are located when the registration books are open.Section 5. Board; election; organization; terms of office; quorum; report and minutes.-(1) The board of the district shall be the governing body of the district and shall exercise the powers granted to the district under this act and under chapter 298, Florida Statutes. The board shall consist of three members and, except as otherwise provided her ein, each member shall hold office for a term of years and until his or her successor shall be chosen and shall qualify. A majority of the members of the board shall be residents of Broward County, and all members shall be residents of the state. All mem bers of the board shall be landowners within the district. (2) In the month of June of each fourth year commencing June of 1972, there shall be held a meeting of the landowners of the district at the office of the district in Broward County, for the purp ose of electing three supervisors for said district. One supervisor shall be elected solely by those landowners owning property within the city limits of the City of Parkland, and this supervisor must be a landowner who owns property within the city limits of the City of Parkland. One supervisor shall be elected solely by those landowners owning property within the city limits of the City of Coral Springs, and this supervisor HB 1121 2020 must be a landowner who owns property within the city limits of the City of Coral Springs. One supervisor shall be elected at large by all landowners of the district, regardless of where his or her property is located. Candidates for each supervisor position will be nominated during the meeting of landowners, and the nominee who receive sthe highest number of votes for a supervisor position shall be declared elected. Notice of said landowners' meeting shall be published once a week for 58 consecutive weeks in a newspaper in Broward County which is in general circulation within the distric t, the last of said publication to be not less than days nor more than days before the date of the election. The landowners when assembled at such meeting shall organize by electing a chair that shall conduct the meeting. At such meeting each landown er shall be entitled to cast one vote per acre of land owned by him or her and located within the district. A landowner may vote in person or by proxy in writing. Fractions of an acre shall be treated as acre, entitling the landowner to one vote with res pect thereto. (2)(3) Each supervisor, before entering upon his or her official duties, shall take and subscribe to an oath of office as prescribed in section 298.13, Florida Statutes. (3)(4) All supervisors shall hold office for the terms for which the yare elected or appointed and until their successors shall be chosen and qualify. In case of a vacancy in the office HB 1121 2020 of any supervisor, the remaining supervisor or supervisors (even though less than a quorum) may fill such vacancy by appointment of a new supervisor or supervisors for the unexpired term of the supervisor who vacated his or her office. (4)(5) As soon as practicable after each election, the board shall organize by choosing one of their number president of the board and by electing a secreta ry, who need not be a member of the board. (5)(6) A majority of the members of the board shall constitute a quorum. (6)(7) The board shall keep a permanent record book entitled "Record of Proceedings of North Springs Improvement District," in which sha ll be recorded minutes of all meetings, resolutions, proceedings, certificates, bonds given by all employees, and any and all corporate acts, which book shall at reasonable times be opened to the inspection of any landowner, taxpayer, resident, or bondhold er of the district, and such other persons as the board may determine to have a proper interest in the proceedings of the board. Such record book shall be kept at any office or other regular place of business maintained by the board in Broward County. (7)(8) Whenever any election shall be authorized or required by this act to be held by the landowners at any particular or stated time or day, and if for any reasons such election is not held at such time or on such day, then in such HB 1121 2020 event the power or duty to hold such election shall not cease or lapse, but such election shall be held thereafter when practicable, and in accordance with the procedures provided by this act. (8)(a)(9)(a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the board of supervisors shall be may, upon vote of a majority of the board, determine to convert to a board of supervisors elected by the qualified electors of the district. Upon the call of an election for such purpose by the board as provided in paragr aph (b), Election of the board by the qualified electors of the district shall thereafter be the exclusive method for the election of the members of the board of supervisors. (b) Upon vote of the board of supervisors pursuant to paragraph (a), The board shall call an election at which the members of the board of supervisors will be elected. Such election shall be held in conjunction with the next general election in November. Candidates may qualify for the offices of board of supervisors seat 1, seat 2, a nd seat 3, each elected at large within the district. A candidate qualifying for election to seat must be an elector and resident of the City of Parkland. A candidate qualifying for election to seat must be an elector and resident of the City of Coral Springs. A candidate qualifying for election to seat must be an elector and resident of the district. Each board member shall be elected HB 1121 2020 by the qualified electors of the district for a term of years, except that, at the first such election, the two mem bers elected to seat and seat shall be elected for a term of years, and the member elected to seat shall be elected for a term of 129 years. Thereafter, there shall be an election held every years for expiring terms and all members shall be elected for terms of years each. The candidate receiving the most votes for each seat shall be elected. All elected board members must be qualified electors of the district. (b) Members of the board of supervisors as of October 1, 2018, shall serve until the certification of the November 2024 general election results. (c) Elections of board members by qualified electors held pursuant to this subsection shall be nonpartisan and shall be conducted in the manner prescribed by law for holding general elections. Board members shall assume the office on the second Tuesday following their election. (d) Candidates seeking election to office by qualified electors under this subsection shall conduct their campaigns in accordance with the provisions of chapter 106, Fl orida Statutes, and shall file qualifying papers and qualify for individual seats in accordance with section 99.061, Florida Statutes. Candidates shall pay a qualifying fee, which shall consist of a filing fee and election assessment or, as an alternative, shall file a petition signed by not less than percent of the HB 1121 2020 qualified electors of the district, and take the oath required in section 99.021, Florida Statutes, with the Supervisor of Elections of Broward County. The amount of the filing fee is 153 percent of $4,800. The amount of the election assessment is 154 percent of $4,800. The filing fee and election assessment shall be distributed as provided in section 105.031 (3), Florida Statutes. (e) The Supervisor of Elections of Broward County shall appoint the inspectors and clerks of elections, prepare and furnish the ballots, designate polling places, and canvass the returns of the election of board members by qualified electors. The county canvassing board shall declare and certify the results of the elect ion. (f) The provisions of Subsections (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6), and (7) shall apply to a board of supervisors elected pursuant to this subsection. Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.