A bill proposed by Florida lawmakers in February could allow voters to amend the Florida Constitution and put term limits on county commissioners and school board members. Florida Republican lawmakers Sen. Blaise Ingoglia and Rep. Michelle Salzman filed SJR 802 and HJR 679 to limit county commissioners and school board members to two four-year terms.
County commissioners do not have a term limit, but school board terms are already limited to eight years after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law in 2023, decreasing the limit from 12 to eight.
In a joint statement, Sen. Ingoglia and Rep. Salzman explained why they think term limits are needed for these two positions and why the choice should be in the hands of Florida voters.
“For too long, some county commissioners have remained in office for decades, leading to stagnation and limited accountability,” Salzman said in the statement.
“By filing this constitutional amendment, we are empowering Florida voters to decide if eight-year term limits are the right path forward, not only for county commissioners but also for school board members.”
Ingoglia added that the voters will have a chance to choose the eight-year term limits after HB 57, which imposed term limits on commissioners, died in the last legislative session.
“Voters of Florida have never had the opportunity to weigh in if eight-year term limits for county commissioners and school board members should be enshrined in our constitution,” Ingoglia said in the joint statement.
SJR 802 states that there is a possibility that a county commissioner may not be on the ballot for re-election “if, by the end of his or her current term of office, such person will have served, or, but for resignation, would have served, as a member of the board for eight years.”
For Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor, his 28-year career serving District 1 Leon County could end. Proctor says that this proposal is awful for the people’s voices and votes and could be cut off a voice that has been effective for them.
“Each term that I have served, I have never self-appointed myself. But through the democratic process of registering and going the processes of campaigning and my name appearing before constituents to make a choice on who they would like to represent them,” Proctor said.
“Fortunately, I’ve experienced a positive and informative answer, as the people selected me through the democratic process.”
Before the proposed amendment can be on the ballot, the amendment must pass in each chamber with a three-fifths vote. From there, the amendment needs 60% of the vote for it to pass and be added to the Florida Constitution.
As of March 18, the bill was in the Community Affairs Committee in the Senate and is in the Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee in the House as of March 19. There has been no further update on when the bill will be heard on the floor of either chamber.