Florida bill proposes term limits for county commissioners

(News-Press.com) - Lee County commissioners could be held to term limits after voters hit the polls in November.

A bill that proposes a statewide referendum on term limits for county commissioners unanimously passed a Senate committee last week.

While some say capping a commissioner's time in office will keep them in touch with constituents, others argue it will leave out-of-town lobbyists in control.

"It's just a special interest power grab," Commissioner Ray Judah said. "Term limits in the Legislature have proven to be disastrous. And you can see that in every facet of the legislation that's coming out of Tallahassee today."

But the co-sponsor of the house's bill, Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-Fort Myers, said term limits in the Legislature have curbed the influence of career politicians.

"You should be a servant to your community. You should come for a limited time and then go back home," Caldwell said. "Folks unfortunately outlive their usefulness and start to trade their principles for whatever else is driving them."

If the bill passes, it could put an end to arguments over whether voters in Florida's 20 charter counties can install term limits - a matter the state's Supreme Court took up in December, but has yet to rule on.

In Lee County, commissioners have collectively held their seats for more than half a century.

Judah has the third longest stay of any commissioner in county history - first elected to the post in 1988.

"I put my reputation, performance and track record before the voters every four years," Judah said. "And it really is more appropriately left up to the voters to determine the term."

Commissioner John Manning, who is in his 14th year on the board, also said a commissioner's time in office should be left to regular elections.

"People in office have a choice and people who vote have a choice, and I think that choice should be maintained," Manning said. "By mandating (the term of) someone, who may be doing a good job, that doesn't seem to be fair."

But voters overwhelming favor term limits, believing they promote accountability, FGCU political science professor Peter Bergerson said.

"They see term limits as a solution to this problem of a disconnect and having a representative government," Bergerson said.

In 1992, 77 percent of Florida voters agreed to limit state legislators to eight years in office.

If the statewide referendum passes in November, Lee County may soon enact them.

"I would be very willing to put it on the ballot for the Lee County citizens to decide," Commissioner Frank Mann said. "My guess is that it would probably pass. Term limits seem to be very popular nationwide."

Accountability

But even with term limits, the accountability voters are looking for could remain elusive, Bergerson said.

In the Legislature, term limits have depleted institutional knowledge and shifted power to lobbyists and staffers, he said.

"When these newer members become part of the legislative body, instead of relying on their own judgment or their colleagues, they're relying on the information they got from staff or pressure groups," Bergerson said.

Limits can also prevent governing bodies from obtaining long-term goals, Bergerson said.

"If you get new people all the time, it's very difficult to be focused on the big picture,," Bergerson said. "They're going to be focused with the immediate situation."

Caldwell, however, said the state Legislature has become more fiscally conservative over the 20 years since term limits were imposed.

And he questions the notion that lawmakers need a vast amount of experience to be effective in office.

"If you've got institutions so big that you have to be here for 20 years to understand them, that's exactly the problem," Caldwell said. "And it's really an indictment of how out of control government has become."

Regardless of whether a legislator is a rookie or veteran, Caldwell said they should be able to make informed decisions.

"If they don't have the intestinal fortitude to say no, they'll get railroaded by special interests any day," Caldwell said. "The time in office has nothing to do with that."