1. Florida State Government

2. Bell Work: Pick up PPT notes and 14.4 Quiz Complete 14.4 quiz
Reminder:
Quiz on amendments 1-10, 14 and 19 TOMORROW (12/13)

3. 10th Amendment
All powers not given to the federal government will be reserved for the states or the people
Florida’s state government is the 10th amendment in action

4. The Florida Constitution
Current Florida constitution was enacted in 1968
Consists of 12 Articles (sections)
Includes a Declaration of Rights with an explicit right to privacy
Like the federal government, Florida’s state government is made up of legislative, executive and judicial branches

5. Florida’s Legislative Branch
Like the U.S. Congress, Florida Legislature is bicameral (two houses)
House of Representatives
120 state house districts
1 Representative is elected from each district
Senate
40 state senate districts
Must be 21 yrs. old to run, can serve no longer than 8 years in a row

6. Florida’s Executive Branch
The Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Governor and lieutenant governor run together on a single ticket during an election
Both officers serve four-year terms
Governor can serve no longer than two consecutive terms, but lieutenant governor has no limit

7. Duties, Roles, Powers of Governor
Governor’s most basic duty is to oversee the execution of the state’s laws
Assisted by lieutenant governor and 30 executive state agencies (appoints the heads of state agencies)
Commander in chief of the state militia
Acts as Florida’s chief representative when dealing with other states or countries

8. Duties, Roles, Powers of Governor
Turning bills into law
Can sign a bill into law or veto a bill
May use a line item veto, which strikes down certain parts of a bill while keeping the rest intact. Serves as a check on legislative power.
Judicial power: Executive Clemency – Check on the judicial branch
Reprieve – delaying the sentence of a convicted person
Commute – reducing a sentence of a convicted person
Pardon – excusing the offense/charges altogether
All three powers are known as the governor’s power of executive clemency

9. Other Executive Offices
Attorney General
Top legal representative – Florida’s lawyer
Chief Financial Officer
Paying bills, keeping track of funds, distributes tax revenue to schools local governments
Commissioner of Agriculture
Oversees all issues related to agriculture
Together, these offices form the governor’s cabinet (group of advisors)

10. Florida’s Judicial Branch
County Courts: Limited jurisdiction
Minor crimes only, traffic violations, civil cases involving $15,000 or less
Circuit Courts
Main trial courts in the state
Most state civil and criminal cases
Acts as a court of appeals for county court
District Courts of Appeal
Used if losing side of circuit courts does not agree with the verdict
Judges sit on panels of three to review cases

11. Florida Supreme Court 6 justices and 1 chief justice = 7 justices
State’s highest appellate court
Typically, Florida Supreme Court choose which cases it will hear, just like the federal Supreme Court
However, cases involving the death penalty will go directly to the Florida Supreme Court

12. Florida’s Budget
Begins when state agencies submit requests for funding to the governor
Both the House and the Senate debate the budget
Governor is to review a single version of the budget
Here he can practice his line item veto
Florida’s two main sources of revenue:
1.) Taxes – most money from sales tax (6% for every dollar spent)
2.) Money supplied by the federal government

13. Local Government – Florida

14. Counties Counties – Most basic unit of local government
67 counties in Florida
Counties are divided into 5-7 districts and governed by a board of county commissioners. One commissioner from each district.
Board of commissioners serves the executive and legislative functions of the county
Hold a lot of power within the county
Establishes the budget, sets tax rates, approves land use
Other elected county officials: sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, supervisor of elections and clerk of the circuit court

15. Municipalities
Municipality – city, town or village with an organized government approved by the state
Florida has more than 400 municipalities within the state
Created by incorporation – given legal authority by the state…happens when municipality reaches a certain population
Three systems of municipal government
Mayor-council system
Council-manager system
Commission system

16. Things your local government takes care of…
Parks
Libraries
Repairing local streets
Local police department
Utilities
Electric
Trash collection
Emergency ambulance services
Public health departments
Volunteer fire departments
Education (public schools)
Local govt’s spent 30 billion on public schools in ’08
School districts operate independently of county and local govt.

17. Book Work On a separate sheet of paper…
Go to page 546 in your books and study the chart of the municipal government systems
In which system does the mayor have the least amount of power?
Why?
Define special districts
What purposes do they serve?
How are special districts governed?