Florida's Economic Pillars

The governance gauge leans slightly positive due to: Florida constitutional reform partially enacted Budget pressures growing for both state and local governments Property tax reform imperils future economic development funding

Republican Charlie Crist was elected in 2006, succeeding Republican Jeb Bush who had served two, four-year terms following his 1998 election.

The Legislature remains Republican dominated: the 120-member state House has 76 Republicans and 44 Democrats following the November 2008 elections, and the 40-member state Senate has a 26-14 Republican majority.

Florida’s governor continues to share some executive branch duties with the independently elected state Cabinet, which consists of the attorney general, chief financial officer, and agriculture commissioner. A lieutenant governor, who is selected by and elected with the governor, has no defined duties but often serves as a political trouble-shooter, representative of the administration or legislative lobbyist.

The lieutenant governor also can assume the executive duties if the governor is incapacitated.

Term limits, approved by voters in 1992, limit the Cabinet and legislators to eight years in office. House members serve two-year terms; Senators and Cabinet members serve four-year terms. The governor also is limited to two, four-year terms.

The governor and Cabinet meet twice monthly and share authority over a range of state land-use and agency policy decisions spanning highway safety and motor vehicles, revenue, power-line siting and executive clemency.

Voters in 1998 approved reducing what had been a six-member Cabinet to three officers beginning in 2003. The change bolstered the governor’s authority over a number of state government functions, but also removed from the Cabinet control of the state Department of Education.

Management of K-12 education and the state community college system was shifted to the state’s Board of Education. Oversight of the State University System was handed to the Board of Governors. Each college and university also has a local board of trustees that has some management and policy authority.

There are 412 cities, towns and villages in Florida, virtually all with some kind of governing board. Florida has 67 counties, led by county commissions and councils. District governments also exist that oversee services ranging from water management to mosquito control.

Florida courts are divided into the state and county jurisdictions, with state courts handling most criminal matters and civil cases steered to county courts. Five district courts of appeal and the Florida Supreme Court, whose seven-members are appointed by the governor, also are in place to resolve legal conflicts.

The state Constititution can be amended with the approval of 60 percent of voters in a general or special election.

The Legislature can place proposed amendments directly on the ballot, while citizens groups supporting a measure must collect more than 600,000 signatures from registered voters and have their proposal reviewed and the ballot language declared constitutional by the state Supreme Court.