A single senator’s objections killed a bill Wednesday aimed at settling who will oversee Broward County’s $2.5 billion investment portfolio.
Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, asked for the item to be pulled because he thinks more discussion is needed between Clerk of Courts Brenda Forman and the county.
“I think the parties kind of got a little tribalistic, and they kind of went in their corners,” Farmer said. “I don’t like to see us do things like that in that manner. … In fairness, she is a constitutional officer. There ought to be a dialogue.”
The county administrator has historically handled the county’s finances, but voters authorized moving those duties to the clerk of courts’ office starting in 2025.
Forman, who is under criminal investigation, hired a lobbying firm to try to defeat a bill seeking to undo that change.
Under the Senate’s rules, a single senator can stop a local bill — which applies to only a narrow geographic area — from being heard. The 60-day legislative session is scheduled to end Friday.
Ron Book, a lobbyist representing Broward County, said the county’s legislative delegation — including Farmer — unanimously supported the bill before the session started.
“It is awfully unfortunate that Sen. Farmer thwarted the will of the entire delegation,” Book said.
Last year, Florida voters approved Amendment 10, which required every county to elect its sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, supervisor of election and clerk of court. What Broward voters might not have noticed in the fine print is that the amendment also made the clerk of courts the “custodian of all county funds” unless otherwise provided by a special law.
In Broward, the county administrator — who reports to the nine-member County Commission — has long handled that duty.
If the bill had passed, Broward voters would have decided in another referendum which office should handle financial oversight. It would need a majority vote to pass.
Forman hired a lobbying firm, Peebles, Smith and Matthews, to defeat the bill. Her tenure as clerk of courts has been tumultuous. She is facing a criminal investigation over allegations that she made false statements under oath.
Book said the bill was not targeting Forman personally and was intended to preserve Broward’s system for financial oversight.
He said it will be re-introduced next session.
sswisher@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6634 or @SkylerSwisher