Bill
HJR 679
Florida amendment to cap county commissioners and district school board members at eight years; ballot in 2026 if approved; requires 60% in Legislature and 60% voter approval.
Status: Died in Rules (as of June 16, 2025)
Introduced: February 18, 2025
Classification: Joint Resolution (constitutional amendment)
Companion: SJR 802 (Ingoglia)
Purpose and overall effect
- HJR 679 proposes a Florida Constitutional amendment to establish an eight-year term limit for two types of Elected officials: county commissioners and district school board members.
- The term limits would apply to terms beginning on specified dates, effectively placing a cap on consecutive years served in these roles.
Key provisions (version highlights)
- Eight-year term limit:
- County commissioners: Applies to terms beginning after November 3, 2026.
- District school board members: Applies to terms beginning after November 8, 2022.
- Ballot placement:
- If the constitutional amendment is approved, it would appear on the ballot at the next general election (currently anticipated for November 3, 2026).
- Additional provision (CS version):
- If a county charter provides that a chairperson or county mayor is elected county-wide, a term-limited county commissioner who was elected from a single-member district could run for, and appear on the ballot for, election as chairperson or county mayor.
- This is an optional, charter-dependent pathway for an already-term-limited commissioner seeking higher office within the county government structure.
- Constitutional mechanism:
- As a state constitutional amendment, it requires approval by three-fifths (60%) of both the Florida House and Senate to be placed on the ballot, and if placed on the ballot, would require voter approval (at least 60% of voters voting on the measure) to become effective.
- No stated fiscal impact:
- Official agency fiscal analysis requested from the Department of State indicated none was available at the time of the committee analyses.
Who would be affected
- County governments: County commissioners (general rule, with charter exceptions).
- School districts: District school board members across Florida’s 67 counties.
- Charter counties: Some provisions interact with county charters, particularly the CS version’s chair/major role provision.
Procedural and timeline details
- Died in Rules committee (June 16, 2025), following a history of movement through multiple committees.
- Original introduction and subsequent committee actions show a multi-step process typical for constitutional amendments:
- Referred to committees (Intergovernmental Affairs, Education Administration, State Affairs).
- Favorable subcommittee/committee reports with or without committee substitutes (CS).
- Consideration as a joint resolution for placement on the ballot, contingent on extraordinary vote requirements (three-fifths in both chambers) and eventual voter approval.
- If advanced, the amendment would target the 2026 general election for ballot consideration.
Notes
- The bill’s companion, SJR 802, mirrors the eight-year term limit concept.
- The analysis indicates the Department of State had not yet completed an accompanying fiscal impact analysis as of publication.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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