SB 762 — Duties and Obligations of Sheriffs

Florida Senate - 2019 CS for SB 762 By Senatorthe GrutersCommittee 23-00574-19on 2019762__Judiciary; A bill to be entitled An act relating to trial court security;

and Senator Gruters 590-03468-19 2019762c1 A bill to be entitled An act relating to duties and obligations of sheriffs;

requiring sheriffseach sheriff to providecoordinate securitywith certain boards of county commissioners and chief judges to develop a comprehensive plan for security of trial court facilities;

requiringspecifying that sheriffs toand coordinate with the chief judgejudges on security matters for trial court facilities and to retain operationalcertain controlauthorities; over how they provide security for such facilities;

specifying that thesheriffs chiefand judgetheir retainsdeputies, certainemployees, decision-makingand authority;contractors are officers of the court under specified circumstances;

specifying that sheriffs and their deputies, employees, and contractors are officers of the court when providing security for trial court facilities;

providing construction;

1513 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

1715 Section 1. Subsection (4) is added to section 30.15, Florida Statutes, to read:

30.15 Powers, duties, and obligations.— (4)(a) Sheriffs,(4)(a) In inaccordance theirwith respectiveeach counties,county’s shallobligation provideunder securitys. for trial court facilities.

Sheriffs14, shallArt. coordinate with the chief judge of the judicial circuit in which their county is located on all security matters for such facilities, but shall retain operational control over the manner in which security is provided.

TheV chief judge of the judicialState circuitConstitution shall retain decision-making authority to ensure the protection of due process rights, including, but not limited to, the scheduling and conduct of trials and other judicial proceedings, as part of his or her responsibility for the administrative supervision of the trial courts under s.

29.008 to fund security for trial court facilities, the sheriff of each county shall coordinate with the board of county commissioners of that county and the chief judge of the circuit in which that county is located on the development of a comprehensive plan for the provision of security for trial court facilities.

Each sheriff shall retain authority over the implementation and provision of law enforcement services associated with the plan.

The chief judge of the circuit shall retain decision-making authority to ensure the protection of due process rights, including, but not limited to, the scheduling and conduct of trial and other judicial proceedings as part of his or her responsibility for the administrative supervision of trial courts under s.

(c) This subsection may not be construed to affect or erode the authority of counties under s.

14, Art.

V of the State Constitution or s.

29.008 to otherwise fund security of facilities as the term “security” is defined in s.

29.008(1)(e).