(1) The district school board chair shall be elected in accordance with the provisions of s. 1001.371 unless a proposition calling for the district school board chair to be elected as an additional school board member by districtwide vote is submitted to and approved by a majority of the qualified electors voting on such proposition in the manner provided in subsection (2).

(2) A proposition calling for the district school board chair to be elected by districtwide vote shall be submitted to the electors of the school district at any primary, general, or otherwise-called special election in either of the following manners:

(a) The district school board may adopt a formal resolution directing that the proposition be placed on the ballot; or

(b) The electors of the school district may petition to have the proposition placed on the ballot by presenting to the district school board petitions signed by not less than 10 percent of the duly qualified electors residing within the school district. The number of signatures required shall be determined by the supervisor of elections according to the number of registered electors in the school district as of the date the petitioning electors register as a political committee as provided in subsection (3).

(3) The electors petitioning to have the proposition placed on the ballot shall register as a political committee pursuant to s. 106.03, and a specific person shall be designated therein as chair of the committee to act for the committee.

(4) Each petition form circulated shall include the following wording:

As a registered elector of the school district of    County, Florida, I am petitioning for a referendum election to determine whether the district school board chair shall be elected by districtwide vote.

The petition shall also include space for the signature and address of the elector. Each signature obtained shall be dated when made and is valid for a period of 4 years after that date.

(5) Upon the filing of the petitions with the district school board by the chair of the committee, the district school board shall submit the petitions to the supervisor of elections for verification of the signatures. Within a period of not more than 30 days, the supervisor of elections shall determine whether the petitions contain the required number of valid signatures. The supervisor of elections shall be paid by the committee seeking verification the sum of 10 cents for each signature checked.

(6) If it is determined that the petitions have the required signatures, the supervisor of elections shall certify the petitions to the district school board, which shall adopt a formal resolution requesting that an election date be set to conform to the earliest primary, general, or otherwise-called special election that occurs not less than 30 days after certification of the petitions. If it is determined that the petitions do not contain the required signatures, the supervisor of elections shall so notify the district school board, which shall file the petitions without taking further action, and the matter shall be at an end. No additional signatures may be added to the petitions, and the petitions may not be used in any other proceeding.

(7) No special election may be called for the sole purpose of presenting the proposition to the vote of the electors.

(8) Any school district adopting the proposition set forth in this section may thereafter return to the procedure otherwise provided by law by following the same procedure outlined in subsection (2).

(9) If a proposition submitted to the electors under subsection (2) calling for the district school board chair to be elected by districtwide vote is approved by vote of the qualified electors, the office of district school board chair shall be filled at the next general election.

(10) The vice chair of the district school board shall be elected by the members of the district school board as provided in s. 1001.371.

(11) This section applies only to those counties organized by charter that have a population of between 800,000 and 900,000 according to the last federal decennial census.

History.—s. 2, ch. 2006-256.