(1)(a) A Supreme Court justice who permanently resides outside Leon County shall, if he or she so requests, have a district court of appeal courthouse, a county courthouse, or another appropriate facility in his or her district of residence designated as his or her official headquarters pursuant to s. 112.061. This official headquarters may serve only as the justice’s private chambers.

(b) A justice for whom an official headquarters is designated in his or her district of residence under this subsection is eligible for subsistence at a rate to be established by the Chief Justice for each day or partial day that the justice is at the Supreme Court Building for the conduct of the business of the court. In addition to the subsistence allowance, a justice is eligible for reimbursement for transportation expenses as provided in s. 112.061(7) for travel between the justice’s official headquarters and the Supreme Court Building for the conduct of the business of the court.

(c) Payment of subsistence and reimbursement for transportation expenses relating to travel between a justice’s official headquarters and the Supreme Court Building must be made to the extent that appropriated funds are available, as determined by the Chief Justice.

(2) The Chief Justice shall coordinate with each affected justice and other state and local officials as necessary to implement paragraph (1)(a).

(3)(a) This section does not require a county to provide space in a county courthouse for a justice. A county may enter into an agreement with the Supreme Court governing the use of space in a county courthouse.

(b) The Supreme Court may not use state funds to lease space in a district court of appeal courthouse, county courthouse, or other facility to allow a justice to establish an official headquarters pursuant to subsection (1).

History.—s. 1, ch. 2019-95; ss. 64, 115, ch. 2019-116.

1Note.—

A. Section 64, ch. 2019-116, created language codified as s. 25.025 by the reviser “[i]n order to implement Specific Appropriation 3210 of the 2019-2020 General Appropriations Act.”

B. Section 115, ch. 2019-116, provides that “[i]f any other act passed during the 2019 Regular Session of the Legislature contains a provision that is substantively the same as a provision in this act, but that removes or is otherwise not subject to the future repeal applied to such provision by this act, the Legislature intends that the provision in the other act takes precedence and continues to operate, notwithstanding the future repeal provided by this act.” Section 1, ch. 2019-95, created s. 25.025 using language substantively similar to s. 64, ch. 2019-116, and did not include a repeal provision.

C. Section 64, ch. 2019-116, also included a subsection (4) not present in the s. 1, ch. 2019-95, version; that subsection, which expires July 1, 2020, reads:

(4) The Chief Justice may establish parameters governing the authority provided in this section, including specifying minimum operational requirements for the designated headquarters, limiting the number of days for which subsistence and travel reimbursement may be provided, and prescribing activities that qualify as the conduct of court business.