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Florida Municipal Officials' Manual - Chapter 10
Reference Guide
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Section 10-1
Glossary of Key Terms
Advisory Board: appointed by a city to advise a council on certain matters; usually comprised of volunteer citizens.
Ad Valorem (tax): Latin phrase meaning “to the value of” and used inter-changeably with the term property tax; the largest tax source for city and county government in Florida.
Annexation: how a municipality expands its physical boundaries, and how a property owner in the unincorporated area becomes part of an incorporated area; covered by Ch. 171, Florida Statutes.
Block Grant: a federal or state designation of funds that are awarded through competition or various qualifications. The funding may be used for an area (block) of programs.
Charter: the broad governing document for municipal governments (cities, towns, villages and charter counties); adopted by the people and amended by the people through referendum. It is derived from the French word for “contract.” Every city in Florida has a charter; only a few of the counties have charters.
Charter Officer: a position created and defined through a charter. Has legal standing because of placement in charter. (Example: the council or commission of a city are charter officers.)
City: municipal government; general-purposed local government created by the people to self-govern. Created through Ch. 165, Florida Statutes (From the Greek, civitas, for citizen.)
Code: the body of ordinances for a city or county; often codified regularly to make sure all ordinances are non-conflicting with one another.
Commission: elected body of a county or municipal government; also used to refer to the elected school board members.
Comprehensive Plan (“Comp” Plan): required of the state, counties and municipalities in Florida; includes plans for development, land use, transportation and other factors to help plan for a 20-year cycle, and to manage growth.
Concurrency: state law requiring that infrastructure be in place before development occurs; features prominently in city and county comprehensive plans.
Constitution (both federal and state): the broad governing documents for both entities; adopted by the people and amended by the people through referendum. The precepts of a constitution are then enacted through law.
Constitutional Officer: a position created and defined in a constitution; has legal standing through such creation. (Example: the sheriff is a constitutional officer of a county.)
Council: the elected body of a city government (in Florida, there is occasional use of councilor, supervisor, trustee and alderman; but less commonly than council or commission).
County: sub state; arm of state, from the French word designating the land/region of a count (nobleman). A unit of general-purpose local government created by the state to deliver state services.
Fee: a charge for service issued by a local government; adopted through an ordinance. It is voluntary in purpose and proceeds must go to the service provided. Also called charge for service; user fee.
Growth Management: In Florida, a set of laws and policies covering acceptable land use, conservation, development, zoning and other governmental regulation of growth.
Home Rule: The Florida Constitution grants (1968), and the Florida Legislature upheld (1973), this power for city and county governments. It provides authority to adopt ordinances and enact programs without permission from the state, provided such ordinances do not conflict with state or federal law.
Incorporation: in government, used to describe creation of a municipality. The act of creating a city, town or village through referendum. Outlined in Ch. 165, Florida Statutes.
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Infrastructure: the physical, man-made structures that support a service; i.e., pipes for water and sewer; water and wastewater treatment plants; paved roads; buildings and supportive systems for buildings; stormwater systems; parks.
Initiative: an effort placed before voters to amend a charter, ordinance or other legal action. Often defined in charter, or law, as to procedure; often requires gathering a set number of signatures to gain ballot access.
Intergovernmental: affecting one or more governments; overlapping goals of more than one government; coordinated activities of more than one government; shared sources of revenues among governments.
Interlocal: refers to action between two governments, usually as an agreement for service, an exchange of funding, or other legally binding agreement.
Law: an enforceable action taken by government to restrict actions or set standards for compliance.
Mandate: a legal action by a government requiring another level of government to do something; usually does not include funding (unfunded mandate).
Mayor: term used in municipal charters for the person on the Council or Commission who leads it; in certain charters, refers to a separate position not on the Council or Commission who is the city’s administrator. Usually refers to the elected leader of a municipal government.
Municipal (Municipality): refers to city government; from the Latin “municipus” – many over the people. Used when you don’t want to distinguish between city, town or village; also used legislatively to separate cities from counties.
Mutual Aid Agreement: inter-local agreement between and among governments to render assistance in disaster response and recovery.
Ordinance: a legal action taken by a city/county government; often used to distinguish between state and federal laws.
Place Name: used by planners to distinguish unincorporated areas known by local names (examples in Florida: Two Egg; Christmas).
Public Hearing: a noticed meeting (per statute and/or ordinance) relating to legal action by a government; usually requires that the public must be heard before action is taken.
Referendum (a): a vote held on a government action; usually set in state or city/county law.
Resolution: when adopted by a city or county, this commemorative or expressive document has standing, but is usually not legally binding in the manner of an ordinance, unless that city’s charter provides for such powers.
School District: In Florida, this special-purpose district is created by the state to provide K-12 public education. School districts are funded through state and a required local effort (RLE), which is a levy of property tax set by the state and levied by the school district board of commissioners. In Florida, this district shares the same physical boundaries as a county.
Special District: created by the Legislature or a city or county, special districts are classified as dependent or independent according to statutory criteria. Known as special-purpose local governments. (Examples: independent fire district; dependent housing authority.) For a list of all special districts and related information, go to www.floridaspecialdistricts.org.
Sunshine: Short-hand for Florida’s Open Meetings/Open Records Law; in the Florida Constitution and Chs. 112 and 186, Florida Statutes. Applies to the state in a limited capacity, and to local governments in a very extensive capacity. (“All meetings are held in the Sunshine.”)
Tax: a mandatory payment from a citizen to a government; levied through the authority of a government. Rates are established by the government through either the state constitution or by government law.
Town: a municipal government; also used to describe unincorporated areas. (From the Old English – “lives within the walls.”)
Unincorporated: In Florida, land in a county that is not within the boundaries of a municipality. Often called by a locally known name; may have a zip code.
Village: a municipal government; also used to describe unincorporated areas. (From the Latin, “villa, villagio” – place to dwell.)
Workshop: for local governments, a meeting at which issues are discussed without a vote. Under Florida’s Sunshine Laws, this is one of the most effective means of publicly discussing public business without taking action, so that all members of the governing body know where one another stands on an issue.
Zoning: set of laws creating categories of land use within a city or county; used to separate areas by activity or use of property. (Example: commercial zoning; residential zoning; industrial zoning.)
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Section 10-2
Acronyms and Abbreviations Used Within Florida Governments
ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act; federal and state law
AGO – Attorney General Opinions (state level legal advice compiled on the AG Web site)
APA Florida – Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association
BEBR – Bureau of Economic and Business Research (at UF; calculates populations)
BOCC – Board of County Commissioners
CDBG – Community Development Block Grant (Federal/State distributes to small cities)
CIE – Capital Improvement Element: planning document for infrastructure maintenance and improvements
CIP – Capital Improvement Plan – local government document outlining several years of long-term planning, usually related to infrastructure
CRA – Community Redevelopment Agency
DEM – Division of Emergency Management – governor’s office division that oversees all emergency operations for state and local governments (man-made and natural)
DDA – Downtown Development Authority
DEP – Department of Environmental Protection (State)
DOR – Department of Revenue (State)
DOT – Department of Transportation
EAR – Evaluation Appraisal Report – part of county and city comprehensive plans
EOC – Emergency Operations Center – State and 67 county offices that serve as command centers for disaster response and recovery
EDC – Economic Development Commission (county)
EPA – Environmental Protection Administration (Federal)
FAC – Florida Association of Counties
FACC – Florida Association of City Clerks
FACC − Florida Association of Clerks of Court
FASD – Florida Association of Special Districts
FBA – Florida Brownfields Association
FCCMA – Florida City and County Management Association
FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency
FGFOA – Florida Government Finance Officers’ Association
FHC – Florida Housing Coalition
FLGISA – Florida Local Government Information Systems Association
FLM – Florida League of Mayors
FLSA – Federal Fair Labor Standards Act
FMAA – Florida Municipal Attorneys Association
FMASH – Florida Municipal Association for Safety and Health
FMOAA – Florida Municipal Officials Alumni Association
FRA – Florida Redevelopment Association
FRCA – Florida Regional Councils Associations (all of the RPCs)
FRDAP – Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program
F.S. – Florida Statute – the statutory provisions of Florida law
FSBA – Florida School Boards Association
GASB − Government Accounting Standards Board
GFOA – National Government Finance Officers Association
HUD – Federal Housing and Urban Development
ICMA – International City/County Management Association – professional organization for local public managers
IOG – Institute of Government (state); John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government, located at several universities and used by counties and cities
JPA – Joint Planning Agreement; used by counties and cities to set boundaries for service delivery and/or utility services
LCIR − Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations
LPA – Local Planning Agency (city or county)
MPO – Metropolitan Planning Organization – a state designation of a state-coordinated advisory board that works with federal and state transportation planning (roads, airports, bridges, ports)
MSA – Metropolitan Statistical Area – federal designation for areas of 50,000 population or greater; does not take city or county governmental boundaries into consideration. Used for planning purposes and qualifications for certain programs
MSBU – Municipal Services Benefit Unit – created by counties, these districts provide services through fee or assessment under Florida law; can include municipal areas.
MSTU – Municipal Services Taxing Unit – created by counties, these districts provide services through the property tax under Florida law; can include municipal areas.
NACo – National Association of Counties
OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Federal)
OTTED – Governor’s Office of Trade, Tourism and Economic Development
P&Z – Planning and Zoning (usually refers to a committee or board for a city or county)
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PERC – Public Employees Relations Commission
PSC – Public Service Commission – Florida’s regulatory body for utilities
PUD – Planned Unit Development
RPC – Regional Planning Councils (11 planning regions in Florida)
SBA – State Board of Administration
SERT – State Emergency Response Team
TDC – Tourist Development Council – legislatively created districts that determine spending plans for tourist tax usage and advise counties and cities on tourism matters
TRIM – Truth in Millage; a Florida law requiring the publication of property tax information
WMD – Water Management District – five regional boards that issue consumptive use permits for water (agriculture, industrial, commercial, governmental)
Florida Legislative Terms
HB – House Bill; always an odd number
CB – Committee Bill; filed by the committee as a whole, not an individual member
CS – Committee substitute; language is substituted for an existing bill
SB – Senate Bill; always an even number
Sine Die – when the Legislature adjourns at the end of a particular session
TP − Temporarily Pass – a bill is left pending in committee
Fun Acronyms
BANANA – Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone
CAVE – Citizens Against Virtually Everything
NIMBY – Not In My Back Yard
NIMTO – Not in My Term of Office
NOPE – Not on Planet Earth
NIMLT – (“Nim-el-tee”) – Not in My Life Time
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