Proposed legislation advocating for term limits on county commissioners is advancing in the Florida Legislature.
Supporters argue that this initiative would inject new perspectives into public office, whereas critics contend that it may result in the loss of experienced representatives familiar with their roles.
The Legislature has shown a penchant for term limits, exemplified by the 2023 session where they implemented eight-year term restrictions for school board members, a reduction from the previous 12-year limit.
Currently, Republican state Senator Blaise Ingoglia from Spring Hill and Republican state Representative Michelle Salzman from Pensacola are championing bills aimed at shortening the terms of county commissioners.
Salzman’s initial proposal suggested 8-year term limits but was later amended to 12. In contrast, Ingoglia’s bill advocates for 8-year limits, aligning with the terms imposed on most other elected officials, according to his statement.
“We have it for the Cabinet, we have it for the governor, we have it for ourselves in the Senate and in the House,” he stated. “We have term limits now for the school boards at eight years. And we constantly call for term limits for other governments, specifically Congress.”
According to Ingoglia, the idea behind each of those projects is the same. When someone have served in the government for an excessive amount of time…
“…they stop listening to the needs of the people. So, term limits is a way to get – for the lack of a better term – fresh blood into the system, fresh ideas, new way to tackle age-old public problems. And it’s a way to keep our constitutional republic alive with ideas, fresh ideas.”
The county officials opposed the bill. Here is Levy County Commissioner John Meeks:
“Certainly, the people at home that I represent do not believe in term limits on local officials,” he stated. “They believe in term limits on Congress. Congress constantly polls at less than a 50 percent approval rating, whereas local government polls at above a 75 percent approval rating. We do have term limits. They’re called elections.”
Eleven counties with existing charters currently enforce term limits of eight or 12 years for commissioners. However, the majority, particularly rural counties, do not have such limits.
Advocates from the Florida Association of Counties contend that the decision on term limits should be left to the voters of each county. Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe expresses skepticism, stating that he believes these limits may not align with the principles of democracy.
“Citizens, if they choose to have representatives that do a good job, they should have the option to continue to have them do that job,” he stated.
He believes that the public approves.
However, Bob White, the Republican Liberty Caucus chairman, believes that this proposal is among the most crucial of the session.
“We have over 140 people that have traveled to Tallahassee for the next two days, along with many friends from Defend Florida as well, and this is on our legislative agenda as well,” he said. “I encourage you to support this bill. Pass it through to its next committee stop.”
Bill Proctor, a commissioner for Leon County, was initially elected in 1996. He claims that he has never run against strong opposition.
Proctor also queries the intentions of the legislators who support term limits. According to him, county commissioners in Florida earn significantly more than state lawmakers.
“They want to term-limit me so that they can come and run for my seat. But they won’t come and run against me because they’ll get whipped. And I believe in my ability to whip anybody. And I believe most commissioners, in particular incumbents, believe in themselves,” he stated. “And more often than not, data shows that incumbents typically win re-election. So, it’s just easier to dump ‘em out, make ’em go out, than to come down there and challenge them out. They can’t win.”
Salzman’s measure, which calls for 12-year term limits, has cleared two committees and is still pending in a third. Eight-year term restrictions mandated by Ingoglia have passed one committee and are now up for review by two more.
