SESSION WATCH
THE BILL ITSELF

HB 1125

Local Government Salaries and Benefits

VERSION H 1125 Filed · BACK TO THE SUMMARY · OFFICIAL RECORD

underlined language is being added; struck language is being deleted. Line numbers are the Legislature's own — the same ones amendments cite.

1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to local government salaries and
3 benefits; amending s. 145.012, F.S.; revising
4 applicability; amending s. 145.031, F.S.; revising
5 requirements for the board of county commissioners
6 salary formula to apply to noncharter counties;
7 providing for the determination of salaries of members
8 of boards of county commissioners of certain counties;
9 amending s. 145.17, F.S.; providing applicability
10 relating to the prohibition of supplemental
11 compensation by certain counties; creating s. 145.20,
12 F.S.; requiring a referendum for a board of county
13 commissioners to increase the salary, retirement
14 benefits, or other compensation paid to its members;
15 requiring referendum election costs to be paid by the
16 county; providing applicability; amending s. 166.021,
17 F.S.; requiring a referendum for the governing body of
18 a municipality to increase the salary, retirement
19 benefits, or other compensation paid to its members;
20 requiring referendum election costs to be paid by the
21 municipality; providing applicability; creating s.
22 189.0165, F.S.; requiring a referendum for the
23 governing body of a special district to increase the
24 salary, retirement benefits, or other compensation
25 paid to its members; requiring the referendum election
26 costs to be paid by the special district; providing
27 applicability; providing construction; providing an
28 effective date.
30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
32 Section 1. Section 145.012, Florida Statutes, is amended
33 to read:
34 145.012 Applicability.—This chapter applies to all
35 officials herein designated in all counties of this the state,
36 except those officials whose salaries are not subject to being
37 set by the Legislature because of the provisions of a county
38 home rule charter and except officials (other than the property
39 appraiser, clerk of the circuit court, superintendent of
40 schools, sheriff, supervisor of elections, and tax collector who
41 if qualified shall receive in addition to their salaries a
42 special qualification salary as provided in this chapter) of
43 counties which have a chartered consolidated form of government
44 as provided in chapter 67-1320, Laws of Florida.
45 Section 2. Section 145.031, Florida Statutes, is amended
46 to read:
47 145.031 Board of county commissioners.—
48 (1) Each member of the board of county commissioners of a
49 noncharter county shall receive as salary the amount indicated,
50 based on the population of his or her county. In addition,
51 compensation shall be made for population increments over the
52 minimum for each population group, which shall be determined by
53 multiplying the population in excess of the minimum for the
54 grouping times the group rate. Pop. Base Group Rate Group County Pop. Range Salary Minimum Maximum I -0- 9,999 $4,500 $0.150 II 10,000 49,999 6,000 0.075 III 50,000 99,999 9,000 0.060 IV 100,000 199,999 12,000 0.045 V 200,000 399,999 16,500 0.015 VI 400,000 999,999 19,500 0.005 VII 1,000,000 22,500 0.000
66 (2) Each No member of a governing body of a charter
67 chartered county or a county with a consolidated form of
68 government shall receive as salary the amount provided by the
69 provisions of the county charter as of September 30, 2026. If a
70 county charter authorizes the governing body to set its salary
71 by ordinance, each member of the governing body shall receive as
72 salary the amount provided by the provisions of an ordinance
73 adopted on or before April 1, 2026. As of October 1, 2026, any
74 future adjustment shall be made only as provided in s. 145.20 be
75 deemed to be the equivalent of a county commissioner for the
76 purposes of determining the compensation of such member under
77 his or her respective charter.
78 (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section or s.
79 145.19, each member of the board of county commissioners may
80 reduce his or her salary rate on a voluntary basis.
81 Section 3. Section 145.17, Florida Statutes, is amended to
82 read:
83 145.17 Supplemental compensation prohibited; exception.—
84 The compensation provided in chapter 145 shall be the sole and
85 exclusive compensation of the officers whose salary is
86 established therein for the execution of their official duties,
87 and, except as specifically provided herein, the acceptance of
88 salary for official duties as a result of other general or
89 special law, general law of local application, resolution, or
90 supplement or from any other source is a misdemeanor of the
91 first degree punishable as provided in ss. 775.082 and 775.083.
92 This section does not apply to any supplemental compensation
93 provided by a charter county or a county with a consolidated
94 form of government, provided that any increase in such
95 supplemental compensation on or after October 1, 2026, is made
96 as provided in s. 145.20.
97 Section 4. Section 145.20, Florida Statutes, is created to
98 read:
99 145.20 Referendum to increase salary, retirement benefits,
100 or other compensation.—
101 (1) A board of county commissioners may not increase the
102 salary, any retirement benefit, or any other type of
103 compensation paid to its members unless such increase is
104 approved by a majority of the electors of the county voting in a
105 referendum held at a general election during a presidential
106 election year. The election costs of the referendum shall be
107 paid by the county.
108 (2) This section does not apply to any increase in a
109 retirement benefit received as part of the governing body's
110 participation in the Florida Retirement System.
111 Section 5. Subsection (10) is added to section 166.021,
112 Florida Statutes, to read:
113 166.021 Powers.—
114 (10)(a) The governing body of a municipality may not
115 increase the salary, any retirement benefit, or any other type
116 of compensation paid to its members unless such increase is
117 approved by a majority of the electors of the municipality
118 voting in a referendum held at a general election during a
119 presidential election year. The election costs of the referendum
120 shall be paid by the municipality.
121 (b) This subsection does not apply to any increase in a
122 retirement benefit received as part of the governing body's
123 participation in the Florida Retirement System.
124 Section 6. Section 189.0165, Florida Statutes, is created
125 to read:
126 189.0165 Special districts; compensation of members of
127 governing body.—
128 (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
129 governing body of a special district may not increase the
130 salary, any pension or other retirement benefit, or any other
131 type of compensation paid to members of the governing of a
132 special district unless such increase is approved by a majority
133 of the electors of the special district voting in a referendum
134 held at a general election during a presidential election year.
135 The election costs of the referendum shall be paid by the
136 special district.
137 (2) This section does not apply to any increase in a
138 retirement benefit received as part of the governing body's
139 participation in the Florida Retirement System.
140 (3) This section does not authorize a referendum to
141 increase the salary, any pension or retirement benefit, or any
142 other type of compensation paid to members of the governing body
143 of a special district if the special district's charter
144 prohibits such members from receiving compensation or benefits.
145 This act shall take effect October 1, 2026. Section 7.