Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Andrew J. Meyers
Department: County Attorney
Information
Requested Action
title
MOTION TO ENACT Ordinance, the title of which is as follows:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA, PERTAINING TO LOBBYING; AMENDING VARIOUS SECTIONS OF CHAPTERS 1 AND 26 OF THE BROWARD COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCES ("CODE"); AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY, INCLUSION IN THE CODE, AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
(Sponsored by the Board of County Commissioners)
body
Why Action is Necessary
A Resolution directing the County Administrator to publish notice of public hearing to consider enactment of the Ordinance was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners at its meeting of October 25, 2022.
What Action Accomplishes
Allows for the Board's consideration of the proposed Ordinance.
Is this Action Goal Related
No
Previous Action Taken
Summary Explanation/Background
In 2010 the Board enacted the County's current ethics code for elected officials, which code was developed by an Ethics Commission created as a result of an amendment to the Broward County Charter proposed by the Charter Review Commission. The enacted code established extraordinarily broad lobbying regulations, far surpassing what then existed under state law. These regulations included prohibitions on County Commissioners lobbying other elected and appointed officials throughout the County, and prohibitions on lobbying by immediate family members and public office staff of County Commissioners. Additionally, the ethics code utilized an expansive definition of lobbying and, as authorized by a subsequent Charter amendment, was subsequently expanded to cover municipal elected officials.
In 2018 voters approved an amendment to the Florida Constitution ("Amendment 12") that prohibits local officials, including county and municipal commissioners, from lobbying local, state, or federal agencies on issues of policy, approp...
Click here for full text