Sarasota County Charter, January 2019

January 2019 edition 5 Section 1.5 Form of Government. This Charter establishes a commission/county administrator form of government. The Board of County Commissioners, consisting of elected citizens, whose election, duties and responsibilities are hereinafter set forth, shall constitute the governing body of the County. (Amended 8/31/2004.) ARTICLE II ORGANIZATION OF GOVERNMENT Section 2.1 Board of County Commissioners Section 2.1A Composition, Election and Term of Members. There shall be a Board of County Commissioners which shall consist of five members serving staggered terms of four years. One Commissioner residing in each district shall be elected by qualified voters in the district in which they reside. A Commissioner who is removed from his or her district as a result of redistricting may serve out the balance of his or her term as a representative of his or her former district. (Amended 11/3/1992, 11/8/1994, and 11/6/2018.) No Commissioner shall serve more than two consecutive terms on the Board. For purposes of this limitation, any period of service on the Board of less than eighteen (18) months shall not be deemed to constitute a term of service. Further, a Commissioner who has serviced two consecutive terms may thereafter serve additional term(s) only after a lapse of service in office of at least two years. No previous term or term which is in progress as of the effective date of the Amendment shall be considered a term of service for purposes of the limitations contained herein. (Amended 9/1/1998.) (On February 1, 2005, the term limits provision of this section was found unconstitutional and unenforceable by the Circuit Court of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. Subsequently, on May 12, 2012, the Florida Supreme Court held that Commissioner term limits are constitutional.)