THE OFFICE OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THIS ITEM.
Background
The Florida Legislature created the SFRTA in 2003, pursuant to Part II of Chapter 343, F.S., to own, operate, and maintain a regional transit system within the tri-county area of Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties. In carrying out this charge, the SFRTA works to coordinate, develop, and operate a regional transportation system that improves quality of life and promotes sustainable growth for future generations.
The SFRTA is comprised of ten voting members, who serve four-year terms. Of the ten members, the County Commission appoints the following two members:
- A member of the County Commission who must be a commissioner at the time of appointment and throughout his/her term on the SFRTA governing board; and
- A citizen member, who is not a county commissioner, but is a resident of the county and qualified elector, and shall represent the business and civic interests of the community (citizen representative).
In previous years, the SFRTA citizen representative position was placed on the at-large rotation list. However, at the Commission’s meeting of August 25, 2015, meeting, as the County Commission debated the filling of an opening in the citizen position, the Commission expressed the desire that, due to the importance of the SFRTA and limited number of appointments, the citizen position should be removed from the rotation system, and Commissioners be notified of any vacancy through a “Motion to Accept Nominations,” - that is, any future vacancy in the citizen position would be considered an at-large position available to all commissioners when the vacancy occurred.
Recently, the Commission’s citizen appointee, Ms. Beth Talabisco resigned, effective August 14, 2017, after becoming a county employee. County employees are prohibited from serving on any board, commission or authority to which the County Commission nominates or appoints the member. County Commissioners must nominate one or more individuals to serve the remainder of Ms. Talabisco’s unexpired term (which expires August 30, 2019).
This agenda item notifies the Board of a vacancy and the ability for commissioners to nominate qualified individuals for appointment to serve as the County's citizen representative on the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority.
Process
A commissioner wishing to appoint an individual to the SFRTA must submit a subsequent agenda item and resume of the individual to the Boards Administrator. The Boards Administrator then submits the agenda item and resume to the County Attorney's Office for vetting. Once the individual is vetted, the County Attorney's Office sends a memo qualifying (or not qualifying) the individual to OIAPS and the commissioner’s office. The commissioner's office then submits the agenda item with the memo of qualification for placement on the Commission’s agenda for approval. It is important to note, if more than one nomination is submitted for the same position, the County Commission must vote to determine which individual will be appointed.
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