Bill Text: FL S2506 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Judiciary
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-05-01 - Died on Calendar [S2506 Detail]
Download: Florida-2015-S2506-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2015 SB 2506 By the Committee on Appropriations 576-02877-15 20152506__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the judiciary; creating s. 25.025, 3 F.S.; establishing the headquarters of the Supreme 4 Court; authorizing a Supreme Court Justice to 5 designate a district court of appeal courthouse, a 6 county courthouse, or any other facility in his or her 7 county of residence as his or her official 8 headquarters; providing that the official headquarters 9 may serve as the justice’s private chambers only; 10 providing for a justice to receive subsistence and 11 transportation reimbursement relating to travel to the 12 headquarters of the Supreme Court under certain 13 circumstances; providing for implementation; providing 14 that a county is not required to provide space in a 15 county courthouse to a justice; authorizing a county 16 to enter into a specified agreement with the Supreme 17 Court; prohibiting the Supreme Court from using state 18 funds to lease space in a district court of appeal 19 courthouse, county courthouse, or other facility to 20 allow a justice to establish an official headquarters; 21 amending s. 35.05, F.S.; authorizing a district court 22 of appeal judge to designate a county courthouse or 23 other facility in his or her county of residence as 24 his or her official headquarters; providing that the 25 official headquarters may serve as the judge’s private 26 chambers only; providing for a district court of 27 appeal judge to receive reimbursement for 28 transportation expenses relating to travel to the 29 headquarters of the district court of appeal under 30 certain circumstances; providing for implementation; 31 providing that a county is not required to provide 32 space in a county courthouse to a district court of 33 appeal judge; authorizing a county to enter into a 34 specified agreement with a district court of appeal; 35 prohibiting a district court of appeal from using 36 state funds to lease space in a county courthouse or 37 other facility to allow a judge to establish an 38 official headquarters; providing an effective date. 39 40 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 41 42 Section 1. Section 25.025, Florida Statutes, is created to 43 read: 44 25.025 Headquarters.— 45 (1) The headquarters of the Supreme Court shall be the 46 Supreme Court Building in the Second Judicial Circuit, 47 Tallahassee, Leon County. 48 (2)(a) Any Supreme Court Justice who permanently resides 49 outside the Second Judicial Circuit may, if he or she so 50 requests, designate a district court of appeal courthouse, a 51 county courthouse, or any other appropriate facility in his or 52 her county of residence as his or her official headquarters 53 pursuant to s. 112.061. This official headquarters may serve as 54 the justice’s private chambers only. 55 (b) A justice who designates an official headquarters in 56 his or her county of residence under this subsection is eligible 57 for subsistence at a rate to be established by the Chief Justice 58 for each day or partial day that the justice is at the 59 headquarters of the Supreme Court for the conduct of the 60 business of the Court; however, such amount may not exceed the 61 amount allowed under s. 112.061(6). In addition to the 62 subsistence allowance, a justice is eligible for reimbursement 63 for transportation expenses as provided in s. 112.061(7), for 64 travel between the justice’s official headquarters and the 65 headquarters of the Court for the conduct of the business of the 66 Court. 67 (c) Payment of subsistence and reimbursement for 68 transportation expenses relating to travel between a justice’s 69 official headquarters and the headquarters of the Court shall be 70 made to the extent appropriated funds are available, as 71 determined by the Chief Justice. 72 (3) The Marshal of the Supreme Court and the Office of the 73 State Courts Administrator shall coordinate with each affected 74 justice and other state and local officials as necessary to 75 implement paragraph (2)(a). 76 (4)(a) This section does not require a county to provide 77 space in a county courthouse for a justice. A county may enter 78 into an agreement with the Supreme Court governing the use of 79 space in a county courthouse. 80 (b) The Supreme Court may not use state funds to lease 81 space in a district court of appeal courthouse, county 82 courthouse, or other facility to allow a justice to establish an 83 official headquarters pursuant to subsection (2). 84 Section 2. Subsections (3), (4), and (5) are added to 85 section 35.05, Florida Statutes, to read: 86 35.05 Headquarters.— 87 (3)(a) A district court of appeal judge who permanently 88 resides outside the judicial circuit in which the headquarters 89 or a branch of the court is located and whose residence is 90 located more than 50 miles from the nearest facility of the 91 court may, if he or she so requests, designate a county 92 courthouse or other appropriate facility in his or her county of 93 residence as his or her official headquarters pursuant to s. 94 112.061. This official headquarters may serve as the judge’s 95 private chambers only. 96 (b) A district court of appeal judge who designates an 97 official headquarters in his or her county of residence under 98 this subsection is eligible for reimbursement for transportation 99 expenses as provided in s. 112.061(7) for travel between the 100 judge’s official headquarters and the nearest headquarters of 101 the court or a branch of the court for the conduct of the 102 business of the court. 103 (c) Reimbursement for transportation expenses relating to 104 travel between a judge’s official headquarters and the 105 headquarters of the court or a branch of the court shall be made 106 to the extent appropriated funds are available, as determined by 107 the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. 108 (4) The marshal of each district court of appeal and the 109 Office of the State Courts Administrator shall coordinate with 110 each affected district court of appeal judge and other state and 111 local officials as necessary to implement paragraph (3)(a). 112 (5)(a) This section does not require a county to provide 113 space in a county courthouse for a district court of appeal 114 judge. A county may enter into an agreement with a district 115 court of appeal governing the use of space in a county 116 courthouse. 117 (b) A district court of appeal may not use state funds to 118 lease space in a county courthouse or other facility to allow a 119 judge to establish an official headquarters pursuant to 120 subsection (3). 121 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.