(1) The offices of said commissioners shall be in the vicinity of Tallahassee, but the commissioners may hold sessions anywhere in the state at their discretion.

(2) All sums of money authorized to be paid on account of said commissioners shall be paid out of the State Treasury only on the order of the Chief Financial Officer.

(3) The commissioners may employ clerical, technical, and professional personnel reasonably necessary for the performance of their duties and may also employ one or more persons capable of stenographic court reporting, to be known as the official reporters of the commission.

(4) When needed, the commission may engage supplementary qualified reporters at their usual rate of compensation; however, the supplementary reporters shall furnish the commission the original certified transcripts of testimony taken by them.

(5) The commission shall make available to the public counsel the original copy of all transcripts for use and study in the commission offices. If the commission makes any copies of transcripts for internal use and if the public counsel has so requested in writing to the clerk of the commission, the commission shall supply the public counsel with a copy of the transcript at no charge.

(6) The commission shall collect for copying, examining, comparing, correcting, verifying, certifying, or furnishing orders, records, transcripts of testimony, papers, or other instruments no more than the same fees that are allowed clerks of the circuit courts of this state. In cases where the fee would amount to less than $1, no fee shall be charged.

(7) Copies of commission orders furnished to public officials, newspapers, periodical publications, federal agencies, state officials of other states, and parties to the proceeding in which the order was entered and their attorneys shall be without charge. However, the commission may in its discretion charge fees for the furnishing of more than one copy of any order to any of the foregoing.

(8) The commission shall keep accounting records in which all fees collected by it as provided for herein shall be recorded, together with the amount and purpose for which collected. The accounting records shall be public records. All moneys collected pursuant to this section by the commission shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the Florida Public Service Regulatory Trust Fund.

History.—s. 2, ch. 4700, 1899; GS 2887; s. 1, ch. 5625, 1907; s. 1, ch. 7811, 1919; RGS 4612; s. 1, ch. 11365, 1925; s. 2, ch. 12218, 1927; CGL 6697; s. 1, ch. 15720, 1931; s. 2, ch. 75-109; s. 2, ch. 81-318; s. 9, ch. 85-61; s. 6, ch. 87-50; s. 23, ch. 87-225; s. 534, ch. 95-148; s. 377, ch. 2003-261; s. 5, ch. 2006-214.