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Florida Statutes Title XLVII. Criminal Procedure and Corrections § 951.26. Public safety coordinating councils

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(1) Each board of county commissioners shall establish a county public safety coordinating council for the county or shall join with a consortium of one or more other counties to establish a public safety coordinating council for the geographic area represented by the member counties.

(a) 1. The public safety coordinating council for a county shall consist of:

a. The state attorney, or an assistant state attorney designated by the state attorney.

b. The public defender, or an assistant public defender designated by the public defender.

c. The chief circuit judge, or another circuit judge designated by the chief circuit judge.

d. The chief county judge, or another county judge designated by the chief county judge.

e. The chief correctional officer.

f. The sheriff, or a member designated by the sheriff, if the sheriff is not the chief correctional officer.

g. The state probation circuit administrator, or a member designated by the state probation circuit administrator, to be appointed to a 4-year term.

h. The chairperson of the board of county commissioners, or another county commissioner as designee.

i. If the county has such program available, the director of any county probation or pretrial intervention program, to be appointed to a 4-year term.

j. The director of a local substance abuse treatment program, or a member designated by the director, to be appointed to a 4-year term.

k. Representatives from county and state jobs programs and other community groups who work with offenders and victims, appointed by the chairperson of the board of county commissioners to 4-year terms.

2. The chairperson of the board of county commissioners, or another county commissioner as designee, shall serve as the chairperson of the council until the council elects a chairperson from the membership of the council.

(b) 1. The public safety coordinating council for a consortium of two or more counties shall consist of the following members, appointed with the approval of each board of county commissioners within the consortium:

a. A chief circuit judge, or a circuit judge designated by a chief circuit judge.

b. A chief county judge, or a county judge designated by a chief county judge.

c. A state attorney, or an assistant state attorney designated by a state attorney.

d. A public defender, or an assistant public defender designated by a public defender.

e. A state probation circuit administrator, or a member designated by a state probation circuit administrator, to be appointed to a 4-year term.

f. A physician who practices in the area of alcohol and substance abuse, to be appointed to a 4-year term.

g. A mental health professional who practices in the area of alcohol and substance abuse, to be appointed to a 4-year term.

h. A sheriff or a jail administrator for a county within the consortium.

i. A chief of police for a municipality within the geographic area of the consortium.

j. A county commissioner from each member county of the consortium.

k. An elected member of the governing body of the most populous municipality within the geographic area of the consortium.

l. An elected member of a school board within the geographic area of the consortium.

2. The members of the public safety coordinating council shall elect a chairperson from among its members.

(2) The council shall meet at the call of the chairperson for the purpose of assessing the population status of all detention or correctional facilities owned or contracted by the county, or the county consortium, and formulating recommendations to ensure that the capacities of such facilities are not exceeded. Such recommendations shall include an assessment of the availability of pretrial intervention or probation programs, work-release programs, substance abuse programs, gain-time schedules, applicable bail bond schedules, and the confinement status of the inmates housed within each facility owned or contracted by the county, or the county consortium.

(3)(a) The council may also develop a local public safety plan for future construction needs. The plan must cover at least a 5-year period. The plan may be submitted for consideration to the local planning agency for the county, or the planning agency for each county within the consortium, at least 120 days before the adoption of or amendment to the comprehensive plan for the county by the local planning agency pursuant to part II of chapter 163.

(b) Each county, or county consortium, that contracts to receive community corrections funds for its community corrections programs under s. 948.51 shall require the public safety coordinating council to develop a comprehensive public safety plan as described therein which includes the future public safety construction needs as described in paragraph (a).

(4) The council may also develop a comprehensive local reentry plan that is designed to assist offenders released from incarceration to successfully reenter the community. The plan should cover at least a 5-year period. In developing the plan, the council shall coordinate with public safety officials and local community organizations who can provide offenders with reentry services, such as assistance with housing, health care, education, substance abuse treatment, and employment.

(5) All meetings of a public safety coordinating council, as well as its records, books, documents, and papers, are open and available to the public in accordance with ss. 119.07 and 286.011.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Florida Statutes Title XLVII. Criminal Procedure and Corrections § 951.26. Public safety coordinating councils - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/fl/title-xlvii-criminal-procedure-and-corrections/fl-st-sect-951-26/

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