Charter Review Commission

The Board of County Commissioners appointed the members of the 2009/2010 Charter Review Commission (CRC) in September of 2009. Our mission was to review the county’s home rule charter and propose any amendments or revisions which might be advisable for placement on the 2010 general election ballot. Our work was concluded on June 23, 2010 and six proposed amendments were forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for placement on the November 2, 2010 ballot. The CRC’s final report is available below.

Robert Ackerman is a business owner and lawyer.  He is the president of Brasington’s Trail Shop and has been a resident of Alachua County for twelve years.  He also serves on the City of Gainesville Plan Board.

Robert Brinkman is a self-employed carpenter and has been a resident of Alachua County for thirteen years.  He also serves as Chair of the Suwannee-St. Johns group of the Sierra Club, and on the MTPO/CAC Boards.

DJ Ferguson is employed by the Alachua County Public Safety Department. She is a member of the Florida Public Personnel Association and the National Forum for Black Public Administrations.  She has lived in Alachua County for 18 years and brings twenty five years of local government experience to the commission.  She served as staff liaison to the 1991-1992 and 1999-2000 Charter Review Commissions.  She is a volunteer with Take Stock in Children and the Easter Seals/Altrusa House, and Pleasant Place.

Mitch Glaeser (Vice Chair) is a businessman and realtor.  He served on the two previous Charter Review Commissions.  He has lived inAlachua County throughout his life and is a volunteer with the Guardian Ad Litem program, Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement, Crime Stoppers, and Gainesville Community Organization.

Armando R. Grundy-Gomes is an insurance claims adjuster/recovery specialist with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Damage Recovery Unit. He has been a resident of Alachua County for three years and is an Army veteran.  He is active in the community as a member of the African American Accountability Alliance, NAACP, 100 Black/Collegiate 100 Black Men, Florida Hispanic Chamber, and the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce.

J. K. Irby (Chair) is the Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts, County Recorder,County Treasurer and ex offico Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners.  He is a life long resident of Alachua County and active in civic and professional organizations.

Joseph W. Little is a Professor of Law at the University of Florida and lawyer.  He is a former two-term member of the Gainesville City Commission.  He has been a resident of Alachua County for forty-three years and has served on various city, county and state boards.

AuBroncee S. Martin is a lawyer and an assistant public defender employed by the Public Defender of the Eighth Judicial Circuit.  Mr. Martin has been a resident of Alachua County for fourteen years and is past president of the Eighth Judicial Bar Association, is Legal Community Chair for the African Accountability Alliance, and a Trustee at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.  He is currently the Felony Division III Supervisor in the Public Defender’s Office.

John Martin is a businessman and owner of Division 10 Distributors.  He served on the Hawthorne City Commission for thirteen years, of which five years were as Mayor.  Mr. Martin is a life long resident of Alachua County and has been active in community affairs serving as Chair of the County Transportation Committee, Rural Advisor to the MTPO, a member of the Wild Spaces & Public Places Citizen Oversight Committee, a member of the League of Cities, and with the Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce.

Bill Richards is a self-employed consultant. Founder and director of Paddle Florida, Mr. Richards has been active in the community by serving on the Tourist Development Council, the Wild Spaces and Public Places Citizen Oversight Committee, the Gainesville Parks, Recreation & Open Space Board, Original Florida Tourism Task Force, and the Board of Directors for the St. Francis House.  He has been a resident of Alachua County for twenty five years.

Jim Stringfellow is a retired business owner and retired USAF captain.  He owned and managed Stringfellow Supply for many years.  He is active with the United Way, Partnership for Strong Families, the Chamber of Commerce, and the University Kiwanis Club.  Mr. Stringfellow has served on various boards and committees throughout the community and in organizations.  He is a life-long resident of Alachua County and his roots go back to family members who were present in Alachua County from the time of statehood.

Rod Tuttle is officially retired but has been active volunteering with the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office.  He has resided in Alachua County for six years.

Lura W. Williams Martin is retired but continues to be active with her family farm raising cattle and timber.  She is a fifth generation Alachua County resident.  Among the organizations she is active with are the Farm Bureau and the Florida Cattlemen’s Association.

Ashley Wood is retired from IFAS at the University of Florida.  He is a forth generation Alachua County resident and is active as a member of the Alachua County Historical Commission, University City Kiwanis Club, Florida Historical Society, and Conservation Trust for Florida.  Mr. Wood’s family is a Florida Century Pioneer Farm Family and his great-grandfather established the Town of Evinston in Alachua County.

Guy York is a Vice President at Santa Fe College. Mr. York has resided inAlachua County for thirty five years and is active in professional and civic organizations.

1. A majority of the members of the CRC shall constitute a quorum.
2. The CRC shall hold at least 3 public hearings at intervals of not less than 10 days apart nor more than 20 days on any proposed charter amendment or revision.
3. No charter amendment shall be submitted to the electorate unless favorably voted upon by a majority of the entire membership of the CRC.
4. Not later than 90 days prior to the general election, the CRC shall deliver to the BoCC the proposed amendments.
5. The BoCC shall by resolution place such amendments on the general election ballot.
6. If a majority of the electors voting favor adoption, such amendments shall become effective on January 1 of the succeeding year.
7. The CRC shall be dissolved on the date of the general election. However, if no amendments are submitted the CRC shall be automatically dissolved 90 days prior to the General election.

* All Charter Review Commission meetings took place in the Grace Knight Conference Room, located on the 2nd Floor of the County Administration Building at 5:30 PM unless otherwise noted.

*Effective 03/04/2010... all meetings will be in the Jack Durrance Auditorium, Room 209, 2nd floor of the County Administration Building.

The Charter Review Commissions work is now complete.

Submissions were submitted by regular mail, dropped off at the County Manager’s office located in the County Administration Building, and through an online submission form.

The Charter Review Commission held their final meeting on June 23, 2010. See below for examples of several ways that citizens were able to submit proposals for consideration by the CRC.

1. A proposed amendment must not be in conflict with the Constitution, statutes, or statutory preemption.
2. A proposed amendment should avoid specific dollar amounts that can only be changed by charter amendment.
3. A proposed amendment should not reference actual statute numbers.
4. A proposed amendment should not duplicate statute provisions.
5. A proposed amendment should avoid usurping the authority of the BoCC.
6. A proposed amendment should avoid matters that would be more appropriate as ordinances.
7. A proposed amendment should be clear, concise and understandable
8. A proposed amendment should only embrace one subject matter.
9. A proposed amendment cannot establish, amend or repeal the county budget, existing debt obligations, the comprehensive plan, or zoning or re-zoning of land.
10. Proposed amendments should be limited in number.

Q: What is a County Charter?

A: It is a written document defining the structure, powers, and functions of government within a county of Florida. It is analogous to a "constitution" for the county's citizens.

Q: What is Charter Government?

A: It's a means by which the electorate may change the structure and service delivery mechanisms of county government. It is made available to the voters of each county in Florida by the Florida Constitution.

Q: Which counties in Florida currently have Charters?

A: There are 20 out of Florida's 67 counties in which the electorate has adopted a charter form of government. These are: Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Hillsborough, Lee, Leon, Orange, Osceola, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, Volusia and Wakulla. Based on recent census data, these counties represent approximately 80% of the state’s 17+ million residents.

Q: How do charter governments differ from non-charter governments?

A: It depends on the charter adopted by the electorate. The 1968 revisions to the Florida constitution and acts of the Florida Legislature have given many powers of "home-rule" (self-government) to non-charter as well as charter counties, making routine powers of charter and non-charter counties essentially identical. These home-rule powers for non-charter counties are limited to being those "as is provided by general or special law." Additional powers are given to a county if they are expressly provided for in its charter as adopted by its citizens. These must be consistent with state law. All changes must be approved by a vote of the electorate of Alachua County before they can be implemented.

Charter Review Commission Final Report