Florida Senate - 2010                                    SB 2648 
 
By Senator Hill 
1-01410A-10                                           20102648__ 
1                        A bill to be entitled 
2         An act relating to diversity in hiring of athletic 
3         coaches and athletic directors; creating s. 1006.72, 
4         F.S.; defining the term “minority applicant”; 
5         requiring each state university or Florida college to 
6         interview one or more qualified minority applicants 
7         when hiring a head athletic coach or an athletic 
8         director; providing an exception; providing for a 
9         defense; authorizing the State Board of Education and 
10         the Board of Governors to adopt rules; providing an 
11         effective date. 
12 
13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
14 
15         Section 1. Section 1006.72, Florida Statutes, is created to 
16  read: 
17         1006.72 Diversity in hiring of athletic coaches and 
18  athletic directors.— 
19         (1) For purposes of this section, the term “minority 
20  applicant” means an applicant who is: 
21         (a) A person having origins in any of the black racial 
22  groups of Africa; 
23         (b) A person having origins in the Hispanic culture; 
24         (c) A person having origins in any of the original peoples 
25  of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, or the 
26  Pacific Islands; or 
27         (d) An American Indian or Alaskan Native having origins in 
28  any of the original peoples of North America. 
29         (2) Each state university or Florida college must interview 
30  one or more qualified minority applicants when hiring a head 
31  athletic coach or an athletic director unless the institution is 
32  unable to identify a qualified minority applicant who is willing 
33  to interview for the position. It is an affirmative defense to a 
34  claim of a violation of this subsection that the institution, in 
35  good faith, was unable to identify a qualified minority 
36  applicant who was willing to interview for the position. 
37         (3) The State Board of Education and the Board of Governors 
38  may adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to 
39  implement this section for the Florida College System and the 
40  State University System, respectively. 
41         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.