Term limits for Brevard County constitutional officers could be on the ballot this year

Brevard County Commission Vice Chair Rita Pritchett has submitted a proposal allowing voters to establish term limits for the county's constitutional officers — the clerk of courts, property appraiser, sheriff, supervisor of elections and tax collector.

Under the proposal, there would be a limit of three consecutive four-year terms. Terms that started before 2024 would not be counted.

The proposal would have to be approved by 60% of voters in the Nov. 5 election.

Commissioners will consider Pritchett's proposal at their meeting on Tuesday.

County Attorney Morris Richardson said they initially are voting Tuesday on whether to send the proposal to a three-person Attorney Review Panel. That panel would need to review of the proposed amendment to the Brevard County Charter to be sure the proposal is consistent with the Florida Constitution, general law and the charter, and that it contains a single subject.

If the panel says the proposal is OK, commissioners then must vote on whether to put the measure on the Nov. 5 ballot. At least four of the five commissioners would need to approve putting the proposal on the ballot.

Pritchett said moving forward with putting term limits on the ballot is in response to comments heard during the Brevard County Charter Review Commission in 2022, which is held every six years to seek public input on how the county can update its charter to better reflect voter priorities.

"We got information during those meetings that the voters wanted this. There was an overwhelming consensus from all the voters that they want term limits on all the elected officials," Pritchett said. "Everybody in office right now wouldn’t be affected, but it’s just a good check and balance moving forward," Pritchett added. "It’s our job to discuss these things and approach it because we’re the ones who have that ability."Pritchett insisted that the decision should be left up to voters in November, and that there are "pros and cons" to term limits on constitutional officers, but that it may be good to ensure there are "fresh eyes" in those offices in the future.

Cocoa resident Nick Tomboulides, executive director of U.S. Term Limits, supports having term limits for the countywide elected offices. But he believes the limits should be for eight years, not 12.

"I don't know why a tax collector needs more than the leader of the free world," said Tomboulides, referring to the two-term term limit for the president of the United States.

Among elected officials with term limits of eight years in Florida are the governor, other statewide elected officials, members of the Florida Senate and House, and members of school boards. The Florida Legislature approved the eight-year limit for school board members last year.

Brevard commissioners are limited to two terms. Only 11 counties in Florida have commission term limits.

Pritchett and Commissioner John Tobia are in their eighth year on the County Commission, so they cannot seek reelection in November. Tobia instead is running for Brevard County supervisor of elections in a Republican primary against the current office-holder, Tim Bobanic. Pritchett has not indicated that she will seek another office.

The Florida Legislature is considering a bill to put eight-year term limits on county commissions in all 67 Florida counties. The bill provides for a voter referendum in three counties with 12-year limits to see if voters want to reduce the limit to eight.

However, Tomboulides said, term limits are rare in Florida for the countywide offices like sheriff and property appraiser.

Brevard County Property Appraiser Dana Blickley and Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey are completing their third four-year terms, but those terms would not count toward Pritchett's proposed limits, since their elections were in 2012, 2016 and 2020. Both Blickley and Ivey are seeking reelection this year.

Lisa Cullen, who serves as the Brevard County tax collector, was first elected in 2008, and has been reelected three times since in unopposed elections, said she would oppose a term limits for public officials like herself, saying that the job of a constitutional officer is substantively different from that of someone who creates policy, like a county commissioner. "If you look at the five officers, we have either worked in our profession throughout our careers or directly in our offices," Cullen said. "I have been with the tax collector's office for 40 years. That background is invaluable when it comes to the work we do."

To her, the job requires an administrator who is a subject-matter expert related to the work of the office, rather than a politician.

"I don't think any of our commissioners really understand the full extent of any of what we do," she added.

Bobanic said he could not comment on the proposal, because, as supervisor of elections, he did not want to create the appearance that he was trying to influence voters related to something that could be on the ballot in November.

Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard and Brevard County government watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Voters could decide term limits proposed Brevard constitutional officers