County constitutional officer (Florida)

County constitutional officer
Style	The Honorable
Type	Plural executive
Status	CEO/Administrator
Member of	County government
Reports to	County commission
Seat	County seat
Nominator	Direct election
Appointer	Governor of Florida [a]
Term length	4 years; renewable
Constituting instrument	Florida Constitution
Formation	1885
Superseded by	State constitutional officer

In the U.S. state of Florida, county constitutional officers are independently elected officials in each county who lead departments and perform specific functions of the county's government. ^[1] The Florida Constitution establishes five county constitutional officers: the sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, supervisor of elections, and clerk of the circuit court. ^{[2] [3]} Elected state attorneys, public defenders, county commissioners, school board members, and the superintendents of schools may also be considered "constitutional officers". ^{[4] [5] [6]} In the event of the death, resignation, or removal from office of a county constitutional officer, the Governor of Florida is empowered to appoint a successor to fill the vacancy until the next regularly scheduled election. ^{[7] [8]}

Under Florida law, each county has "state" officers who are elected locally, and their salaries and office expenses are paid locally. ^[9] Constitutional officers establish the budgets for their offices, independent of the operating budget set by the Board of County Commissioners. Although they operate independently, constitutional officers work in cooperation with the BCC in order to serve the public efficiently and cost-effectively. ^[5] They are elected in partisan elections every four years, in concurrence with presidential elections and are not subject to term limits. ^{[10] [11]} The state constitution allows for counties to hold a referendum to abolish a constitutional officer in their county, with the exception of the position of clerk of court. ^{[12] [13]} Counties may also hold a referendum to establish their county's constitutional officers as non-partisan roles. ^{[14] [15]} While several counties have made small changes (for instance a non-partisan supervisor of elections in Leon or an independent comptroller in Orange), only one county, Miami-Dade, has made significant alterations, which were reverted in 2025. ^{[16] [17]}

The mayor of Jacksonville is a county constitutional officer, as per the Jacksonville Consolidation. ^[18] Despite being independently elected county officials, the mayor of Miami-Dade County, mayor of Orange County, and Volusia County chair are not county constitutional officers. ^{[19] [20] [21]}

Constitutional officers

Miami-Dade County property appraiser Tomás Regalado, supervisor of elections Alina Garcia, and tax collector Dariel Fernandez, 2025

The Florida Constitution establishes five county constitutional officers: ^[22]

• Sheriff: oversees law enforcement, public safety and often corrections for the county.
• Tax collector: receives property tax and other payments for both the county and state; head of the county DMV.
• Property Appraiser: assesses the fair value of all property so that property taxes can be computed.
• Clerk of the circuit and county court (also serves as ex-officio county comptroller, county auditor, and county recorder): maintains public records and is clerk to the county commission. ^[23]
• Supervisor of Elections: registers voters and organizes all elections in the county.

Duties and responsibilities

Collier County government center

List duties and responsibilities of Florida county constitutional officers: ^[24]

• Constitutional officers are directly accountable to the public for the proper operation of county government
• Constitutional officers are charged with maintaining public order and ensuring equal civil and political rights to all
• As chief executive of their respective office, constitutional officers are empowered to appoint all deputies, employees, and other staff
• Constitutional officers shall perform their executive and administrative functions as specified by general law

Political role

County constitutional officers are often members of their local political party executive committee. ^[25] County parties vote to endorse city, county, state, and congressional officials in primary elections on behalf of the state parties, which can lead to controversy over party officials voting to endorse themselves and using party funds to aid their campaigns. ^{[26] [27] [28]} In each county in Florida, the Republican and the Democratic parties maintain a state committeeman and state committeewoman, independently elected countywide every four years. ^[29] They are not county constitutional officers. ^[30]

Duval County Courthouse; seat of the Duval County clerk

In recent years, many corporations, including Florida Power & Light, have become involved in county constitutional officer elections. ^{[31] [32] [33]} Real estate development companies have also been involved in county constitutional officer elections, specifically county commission and property appraiser races. ^{[34] [35] [36]}

History

Segregated restaurant in Belle Glade, Florida, January 1939

During the Jim Crow era, local governments in Florida were dominated by the Democratic Party. Aided by members of the Ku Klux Klan, they stripped citizens of their ability to choose their representatives and successfully established courthouse cliques. ^[37] Widespread electoral fraud, aided by county-level politicians, and acts of political violence, such as the Jackson County War, helped secure Democratic control of the "Solid South" for decades. ^{[38] [39] [40]}

Notable constitutional officers

• Napoleon B. Broward, 19th governor of Florida, sheriff of Duval County, Florida
• Kurt S. Browning, 27th Florida secretary of state, supervisor of elections of Pasco County, Florida ^[b]
• Chad Chronister, 30th sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida
• Jerry Demings, 5th mayor of Orange County, 28th sheriff of Orange County, Florida
• Carlos A. Giménez, U.S. representative from Florida, Miami-Dade County commissioner
• Spessard Holland, U.S. senator from Florida, prosecutor of Polk County, Florida
• Willis V. McCall, 10th sheriff of Lake County, Florida
• Henry L. Mitchell, 16th governor of Florida, clerk and treasurer of Hillsborough County, Florida
• Jared Moskowitz, U.S. representative from Florida, Broward County commissioner ^[c]
• Rich Nugent, U.S. representative from Florida, sheriff of Hernando County, Florida
• John Rutherford, U.S. representative from Florida, sheriff of Jacksonville
• David Sholtz, 26th governor of Florida, state attorney for the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
• Brenda Snipes, Broward County supervisor of elections

See also

• Government of Florida
• Elections in Florida
• Politics of Florida

References

1. "The 2024 Florida Statutes". leg.state.fl.us. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
2. "HB 1373 — County Constitutional Officers". flsenate.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
3. "Florida Amendment 10, State and Local Government Structure Amendment (2018) Officers". Ballotpedia . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
4. "2020 Florida Statutes". flsenate.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
5. "Overview of County Government". discover.pbc.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
6. Hammond, Gerry (December 27, 1998). "County commissioners as county constitutional officers". myfloridalegal.com. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
7. Bridges, C. A. (March 5, 2024). "DeSantis appoints Disney district head to a Florida supervisor of elections job. Who is Glen Gilzean?". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
8. "Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints Nina Ward as Bay County Supervisor of Elections". flgov.com. May 3, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
9. "Elected Constitutional Officers". flaglercounty.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
10. Ogles, Jabob (July 10, 2023). "Do all Florida counties need partisan elections for constitutional offices?". Florida Politics . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
11. White, Gary (November 7, 2024). "Melony Bell's gamble pays off as she denies Lori Edwards 7th term as Polk elections supervisor". The Ledger . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
12. "Constitutional Offices". miamidade.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
13. Morse, Hannah (June 6, 2019). "Palm Beach County constitutional officers may have to run with party affiliation". The Palm Beach Post . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
14. Burlew, Jeff (August 19, 2024). "Who's a Republican or Democrat? Partisan guide to the Tallahassee 2024 primary election". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
15. Peddie, Matthew (October 28, 2018). "Why Three Counties Are Furious About Amendment 10". WLRN-TV . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
16. Inclán, Lorena (August 13, 2024). "Miami-Dade voters will elect a sheriff for the first time in almost 6 decades. Here are the candidates". WTVJ . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
17. "County Government Structure in Florida" (PDF). broward.org. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
18. "Qualification For COJ Offices" (PDF). duvalelections.com. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
19. Scheckner, Jesse (January 7, 2025). "Constitutional officers installed in Miami-Dade, where a GOP wave helped deliver a sweep". Florida Politics. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
20. "Elected Officials". ocfelections.com. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
21. "County Officials Serving Volusia County". volusiaelections.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
22. Burbank, Keith (June 14, 2024). "All Martin County constitutional officers, including sheriff, elected without opposition". Treasure Coast Newspapers . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
23. "Constitutional Offices". baycountyfl.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
24. "Florida Association for Constitutional Officers (FACO)". floridaconstitutionalofficers.com. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
25. Kitterman, Dawn (September 10, 2024). "Future of Local Republican Executive Committee Uncertain". The Bradenton Times . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
26. Harper, Mark (September 19, 2024). "Volusia County Republican Executive Committee backs Randy Dye for county chair". The Daytona Beach News-Journal . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
27. Woronoff, Brent (July 12, 2022). "Brower calls for county GOP chair's resignation". Observer Media . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
28. Fineout, Gary (August 20, 2024). "Florida Republicans had their favorite in this legislative primary. Then Trump got involved". Politico . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
29. "Committeemen & Committeewomen". votepalmbeach.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
30. "2023 Florida Statutes (including 2023C)". flsenate.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
31. Nehamas, Nicholas; Hanks, Douglas; Blaskey, Sarah; Klas, Mary Ellen (August 25, 2022). "'Our plan might have paid off': How FPL dollars secretly funded a spoiler vs. Levine Cava". Miami Herald . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
32. Monroe, Nate (October 2, 2024). "Guilty verdict of bit player shows how FPL tried to sway a Florida election". The Florida Times-Union . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
33. Castor, Kathy (August 2, 2023). "Rep. Castor Introduces Bill to Ban Power Companies from Manipulating Elections, Misleading Voters". castor.house.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
34. Russon, Gabrielle (November 5, 2024). "3 Orange County Commission seats up for grabs in high-stakes election". Florida Politics. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
35. Axelbank, Evan (August 21, 2024). "Manatee County voters turn against development". WTVT . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
36. Gardner, Sheldon (October 22, 2024). "Volusia County chairman's race could come down to one issue: Development". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
37. Moore 2014, p. 175.
38. "The Invisible Empire: The Ku Klux Klan in Florida". University Press of Florida . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
39. Zuber, G. "The Journal of Southern Religion Reviews". The Journal of Southern Religion. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
40. "The Invisible Empire: The Ku Klux Klan in Florida". National Library of Australia . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
41. Bousquet, Steve; Decamp, David (December 15, 2006). "Pasco's Kurt Browning new secretary of state". St. Petersburg Times . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
42. Bousquet, Steve; Solochek, Jeffrey (January 11, 2012). "Kurt Browning resigns as Florida's secretary of state". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
43. "Governor Rick Scott Returns Experienced Hand Kurt Browning to Department of State". flgov.com. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
44. "Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints Torey Alston and Jared Moskowitz to the Broward County Board of County Commissioners". flgov.com. November 23, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2025.

Notes

1. The Governor of Florida may appoint a successor to fill a vacancy until the next regularly scheduled election.
2. First elected at the age of 22, he was the youngest county elections official in Florida history. ^{[41] [42] [43]}
3. In 2021, Moskowitz was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis as a county constitutional officer. ^[44]

Work cited

• Moore, James Tice (2014). "County Politics". Law and Politics. The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Vol. 10. UNC Press Books. pp. 173–176. ISBN   9781469616742.

External links

• Pinellas County Constitutional Officers Agencies
• Salaries of Elected County Constitutional Officers
• County Government Structure in Florida