The State Government Of Florida

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The state government of Florida is made up of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The executive branch is headed by the governor and also includes other officials like the lieutenant governor, attorney general, etc. The legislative branch is bicameral with a house and senate similar to that of the United States legislative branch. The judicial branch mainly consists of the state supreme court and lower appeals courts in the state. Local governments exist within the state government and there are two types, general purpose and special purpose. The executive branch of Florida’s state government includes the governor and his/her cabinet. In Florida, there are only three cabinet members whose positions include the Chief Financial Officer, the Attorney General, and the Commissioner of Agriculture. The positions are held by Jeff Atwater, Pam Bondi, and Adam Putnam, respectively. The position of governor is held by Rick Scott. The duties of the cabinet are to assist the governor in making decisions. The cabinet, along with the governor, can create independent school districts and special districts (“Statutes & constitution: View statutes: Chapter 189”, 1995). The legislative branch of Florida’s state government includes the state Senate and the state House of Representatives. The members of this branch “consider matters brought forth by the governor or introduced by its members to create legislation that becomes law” and “approves a state 's budget and initiates tax legislation and articles of impeachment” (“State and local government”, 2015). This is part of the checks and balances that prevent the governor from having too much power. He can introduce bills to the House and Senate, but they must approve them before t... ... middle of paper ... ...ypes of districts are funded. According to Hogue, all Florida school districts are independent school districts (2013). Independent school districts are governed by officials outside of the county or municipality government. They are usually governed by “nonpartisan elected board called a school board, board of trustees, board of education, or school committee” (“Local US governments”, 2016). In conclusion, the state of Florida is made up into a wide range of state and local government agencies. The state agencies include the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The local agencies include the counties, municipalities, and special purpose districts. The counties and municipalities are general purpose agencies that include county and city government. The special purpose agencies are districts created for functions such as transportation, schools, water, etc.

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