Chapter 9: Florida’s Government

9.1: Governing Florida

Vocabulary:
1) Rights: The freedoms that are protected by law
2) Legislative Branch: The part of the government that makes laws
3) Bill: A proposed, or suggested, law
4) Executive Branch: The part of the government that makes sure laws are obeyed
5) Veto: To refuse to sign a bill
6) Cabinet: Part of the executive branch of government. In Florida, the cabinet is three elected
officials who help the governor.
7) Judicial Branch: The part of the government that decides what laws mean and makes sure
that laws are applied fairly.
8) Budget: A plan for spending money

Notes:
 Florida’s government is based on a constitution.
 The purpose of Florida’s constitution is to list the rights of Florida’s citizens, and it
contains a plan for the state government. The plan for the government divides it into 3
parts or branches, the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch.
 The Legislative branch is made up of two groups: the senate and the House of
Representatives.
 Florida protects the rights of its citizens by enforcing laws made by the government.
 Laws are rules that tell citizens what they must and must not do.
 State laws deal with crime, how people should behave, education, taxes, and other
issues.
 The first step in making a law is writing a bill. Next, senators and representatives vote
for or against a bill, if they vote yes for the bill then it goes to the governor. If the
governor signs the bill then it becomes a law, if the governor chooses to veto the bill
then it returns to the legislature and can be voted on again.
 The governor of Florida is the head of the executive branch. We vote for the governor
every 4 years.
 The executive branch also includes the cabinet, it is formed by 5 people. The governor,
lieutenant governor, the Commissioner of Agriculture, the Chief Financial Office and the
Attorney General.
 The Judicial branch is made up of courts and judges.
 There are 4 kinds of court in Florida: County court, Circuit court, District Courts of
Appeal, Supreme Court.
 The county court (lowest level) hears small cases like traffic tickets.
 Circuit courts handle trials that involve serious crimes.
 The District Court of Appeal hears appeals from the lower courts. If someone does not
agree with their hearing they go to the District Court of Appeals.
  The highest court is the Supreme Court, they hear appeals from the district courts.
 Florida’s government also provides services that benefit its citizens like public safety,
health, transportation, and education.
 The state pays for all of the services with the tax money its citizens pay.
 Taxes are money that Floridians pay to the government so it can provide a service.
 Floridians pay taxes on things they buy and they pay taxes on things they own.
 The state creates a budget each year to plan how to spend that money.
 Citizens are important to the government because we pay for state services.

9.2 Cities and Counties

Vocabulary:
1) Municipal: Something that describes the management and activities of a city or town.
2) City Manager: The appointed head of a city or town.
3) City Council: A group of elected people who make local laws and help run a city or town.
4) County Commissioner: An elected leader of a county.
5) County Seat: A city that is the center of government for a county.
6) Special District: A local government group organized to provide a needed service to the
area.

Notes:
 Local governments serve a city or county for example Miami, or Miami-Dade.
 There are 3 types of local governments in Florida: city, county, and special districts.
 State and local governments work together but they take care of different areas.
 Some areas of Florida have a city government, or a municipal.
 The head of a city government is either a mayor or a city manager.
 Mayors are elected into office while city managers are appointed or selected.
 Florida is divided into areas called counties. Counties make a large area easier to
manage.
 There are 67 counties in Florida.
 Counties are led by a group of county commissioners who are elected.
 Each county has a county seat which is the center of the government for that county.
 Only county governments have judicial courts.
 Special districts are local government groups that provide a needed service to the area,
for example to manage water resources.
 All of these local governments work together, especially when disaster (like hurricanes)
strike.

Questions:
1) Which level of government is responsible for maintaining state parks?
2) Which level of government is responsible for most of the things you depend on every
day?
3) What is the difference between a mayor and a city manager?
 4) What is the main role of a city council?
5) How are city council members and county commissioners alike?
6) What is a common role filled by city governments, county governments, and special
districts? (What is one thing they all provide?)

9.3 Active Citizenship

Vocabulary:
1) Duty:
2) Responsibility:
3) Public Service:
4) Petition:
5) Volunteer:

Notes:
 Helping people means you are being a good citizen, good citizens help their
communities.
 Citizens have duties and responsibilities, a duty is something they must do (following the
law) and a responsibility is something is something you should do (help your
community)
 Some citizens help the public through their work, like police officers, firefighters and
teachers.
 Citizens take part in their government by voting.
 Citizens can influence the government in several ways for example, reading about what
is happening, writing to the public officials, etc.
 Citizens can also write petitions.
 Citizens work together to make changes, they form citizen groups and make their
opinions heard.
 You can help your community or state by volunteering.

Questions:
1) What are two results of helping other people?
2) Is volunteering in your community a right, duty, or responsibility?
3) What might happen if citizens didn’t perform their duties or responsibilities?
4) What is the goal of public service?
5) Why is it important for citizens to tell the government what they think?
6) Why is volunteering important?