Eight-year school board term limits bill signed into law
Amber Jo Cooper contributed to this report.
MIAMI (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Tuesday that limits school board members to eight-year term limits.
It allows two consecutive four-year terms, beginning with the November 2022 election. DeSantis said this bill will make a “big, big difference” as people clapped in the background at the press conference.
Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, carried the bill in the Senate, which passed 30-7. Rep. Alex Rizo, R-Hialeah, carried the bill in the House, which passed 79-29.
The bill changes term limits for school board members to prohibit a school board member from appearing on a ballot for reelection if, by the end of his or her current term of office, the member will have served in that office for eight consecutive years.
The Senate took up the House version of the bill, which only includes school board members. The Senate version previously included county commissioners, who currently do not have term limits.
Ingoglia said he still wants term limits for county commissioners in the future.
“We are taking up the House’s position this year, but it is still a want and a need for me, personally to make sure that we are including county commission in going forward prospectively, I will be filing a bill to do that,” Ingoglia said.
In February, Ingoglia said serving in the same position in government should “not be a decades long endeavor.”
“Term limits not only ensure better representation, they bring about much needed fresh ideas to tackle public policy challenges. For too long, the lack of term limits have hindered the ability of communities to develop the next set of leaders,” Ingoglia said. “It’s time to change course.”
Ingoglia said the legislation is “necessary” and will “bring about decisive improvement in accountability in local government.”
“This bill aligns with what Floridians want, and this bill will do that, and more and more, we see the Floridians have wanted school board members and other elected offices to align better with those constitutional officers, just like ourselves,” Rizo said during the second House floor reading.
