Bill Text: FL S0280 | 2025 | Regular Session | Comm Sub

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Bill Title: Candidate Qualification

Spectrum:

Status: (Introduced) 2025-03-05 - Now in Judiciary [S0280 Detail]

Download: Florida-2025-S0280-Comm_Sub.html

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       Florida Senate - 2025                              CS for SB 280
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Ethics and Elections; and Senator Arrington
       
       
       
       
       
       582-02088-25                                           2025280c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to candidate qualification; creating
    3         s. 99.013, F.S.; providing eligibility requirements
    4         for persons seeking to qualify for nomination as
    5         candidates of a political party or as candidates with
    6         no party affiliation; providing that certain entities
    7         may bring an action for declaratory and injunctive
    8         relief based on a certain claim; prohibiting a person
    9         from qualifying as a candidate for election and
   10         prohibiting his or her name from appearing on the
   11         ballot under certain circumstances; amending s.
   12         99.021, F.S.; specifying that a person seeking to
   13         qualify for office as a candidate must be a registered
   14         member of a political party, or registered without any
   15         party affiliation, for 365 consecutive days preceding
   16         the beginning of qualifying for an election; providing
   17         an effective date.
   18          
   19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   20  
   21         Section 1. Section 99.013, Florida Statutes, is created to
   22  read:
   23         99.013 Eligibility to qualify for nomination as a candidate
   24  of a political party or candidate with no party affiliation.—
   25         (1)(a) A person seeking to qualify for nomination as a
   26  candidate of a political party must have been a registered
   27  member of the political party for which the person is seeking
   28  nomination as a candidate for at least 365 consecutive days
   29  preceding the beginning of the qualifying period before the
   30  general election for which the person seeks to qualify.
   31         (b) A person seeking to qualify for nomination as a
   32  candidate with no party affiliation must be registered without
   33  any party affiliation and may not have been a registered member
   34  of any political party for at least 365 consecutive days
   35  preceding the beginning of the qualifying period before the
   36  general election for which the person seeks to qualify.
   37         (2) A political party or other candidate for the office
   38  sought may bring an action for declaratory and injunctive relief
   39  based on a claim that a person seeking to qualify for nomination
   40  as a candidate of such political party or as a candidate with no
   41  party affiliation did not comply with this section.
   42         (3) If a final judgment of a circuit court determines that
   43  a person did not comply with this section, the person may not be
   44  qualified as a candidate for election and his or her name may
   45  not appear on the ballot.
   46         Section 2. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (1) of
   47  section 99.021, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   48         99.021 Form of candidate oath.—
   49         (1)
   50         (b) In addition, any person seeking to qualify for
   51  nomination as a candidate of any political party shall, at the
   52  time of subscribing to the oath or affirmation, state in
   53  writing:
   54         1. The party of which the person is a member.
   55         2. That the person has been a registered member of the
   56  political party for which he or she is seeking nomination as a
   57  candidate for at least 365 consecutive days preceding before the
   58  beginning of qualifying before preceding the general election
   59  for which the person seeks to qualify.
   60         3. That the person has paid the assessment levied against
   61  him or her, if any, as a candidate for said office by the
   62  executive committee of the party of which he or she is a member.
   63         (c) In addition, any person seeking to qualify for office
   64  as a candidate with no party affiliation shall, at the time of
   65  subscribing to the oath or affirmation, state in writing that he
   66  or she is registered without any party affiliation and that he
   67  or she has not been a registered member of any political party
   68  for at least 365 consecutive days preceding before the beginning
   69  of qualifying before preceding the general election for which
   70  the person seeks to qualify.
   71         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.