Public Officers and Employees

Changed the statute number from s. 20.70 to s. 20.71 and reorganized residency requirements to apply to department secretaries, executive directors, and other executive branch officials beginning October 1, 2025.

Added new requirements for members of state university boards of trustees to be U.S. citizens and state residents or graduates of the state university they oversee, effective October 1, 2025.

Added requirements for Board of Governors members to be U.S. citizens and either state residents or state university graduates, effective October 1, 2025.

Added new section 112.31251 defining 'office' for constitutional purposes and defining 'employment' for political activity restrictions.

Added new section 112.3261 requiring investigation of lobbyists making prohibited expenditures and prohibiting certain officials from accepting such expenditures.

Added provisions prohibiting state, county, and municipal officers from using official authority to solicit contributions and revising rules about travel expense reimbursements.

Changed effective dates for various provisions, with most new residency requirements taking effect October 1, 2025, and university trustee requirements taking effect January 6, 2027.

Residency requirements for department secretaries and executive directors were modified to allow residence within 30 miles of department headquarters instead of strict county residency.

New provisions prohibiting certain state officers and employees from engaging in political activities were added.

New definitions for 'office' and 'employment' were created to clarify which positions are subject to the bill's requirements.

Specific effective dates were added, including October 1, 2025 for most requirements and January 6, 2027 for university board of trustees requirements.

University board of trustees members now have an alternative qualification option of being a graduate of the state university they oversee.

Automatic vacancy provisions were added for officials who fail to meet residency or citizenship requirements.