Florida Municipal Officials' Manual - Preface
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[Download the Preface.]
The Florida Municipal Officials’ Manual is a publication of the Florida League of Cities. Our gratitude goes to the John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government and the staff of the Florida League of Cities for their assistance in the manual’s preparation.
Inquiries concerning the manual should be addressed to: Carol Westmoreland, Florida
League of Cities, P.O. Box 1757, Tallahassee, FL 32302-1757; or by phone at (850) 701-3608.
A. Nature of the Manual
This manual is intended as a reference on common topics of municipal government for use by municipal officials, both elected and appointed. We believe that newly elected mayors and council members will find it a handy reference, as will the appointed administrator and/or clerk who may be unfamiliar with Florida statutes governing particular municipal affairs.
This manual is primarily a review of state statutory provisions affecting the conduct of municipal affairs; therefore, it will be useful primarily to the reader who seeks this sort of information. However, other types of information are presented which we believe will be useful to municipal officials. The attempt has been made to be simple and concise, rather than all-inclusive.
This manual should not be viewed as containing definitive information on matters of law or statutory interpretation. Legal counsel should be obtained from one’s city attorney.
It should be noted that the terms “municipality” and “city” are used interchangeably throughout this manual, as well as “municipal governing body” and “city council.”
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B. Suggestions for Improvements
From time to time, the manual will be expanded, updated and corrected. Suggestions as to needed corrections and additions are appreciated.
C. Note About Citations
In this manual: “Const.” and Florida Constitution refer to the 1968 Constitution of the State of Florida, as amended; “F.S.” refers to Florida Statutes; “Laws” refers to Laws of Florida; “F.A.C.” refers to Florida Administrative Codes; and “C.F.R.” refers to Code of Federal Regulation.
The Florida Legislature meets annually in regular session and sometimes in special session. All “acts” of the Legislature (that is, legislative bills which are enacted into law) in each year are compiled in an annual collection entitled Laws of Florida. Each act is identified by the year and the number; e.g., “2001-57” means the 57th act of the 2001 legislative year. Laws of Florida contains the complete text of each act, exactly as it was enacted.
The ongoing body of laws of a general and permanent nature of the State of Florida is codified and published as Florida Statutes. Each new act of a general and permanent nature is incorporated into the pre-existing body of statutes. The statutes are organized in terms of chapters (e.g., “ch. 166”), sections (e.g., “s. 166.021”), and subsections (e.g., “s. 166.021(4)”). Publication of Florida Statutes is done every two years, following each odd-year regular legislative session, and a supplement is published following each even-year regular legislative session. All statutes and the Florida Constitution are available online at www.leg.state.fl.us. Because of the frequency of statutory amendments, this manual does not give exact citations; please consult your city attorney for such details.
The administrative rules and regulations adopted by state departments and agencies are
contained in the Florida Administrative Code. Such administrative rules have the force of law when properly adopted by an agency in accordance with guidelines established by law. The administrative rules and regulations adopted by federal departments and agencies are contained in the Code of Federal Regulation.
Also cited throughout this manual are various judicial decisions. The application of each of these decisions is explained in the text, with the reference itself cited in bold italic; for example: Gibbons v. Ogden.
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