Florida Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Florida, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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Can a Florida county use tourist development tax money to pay airfare and travel costs for travel writers and tour brokers to attend tourism promotion events?
No, not unless those travel writers or tour brokers are themselves traveling on official agency business under section 125.0104(9)(c). The AG read section 125.0104(9)(a) of the Local Option Tourist De…
Can a Florida city levy a special assessment against a charter school's property?
No. The Florida AG concluded that section 1002.33(18)(d), Florida Statutes, expressly exempts charter school facilities from assessments for special benefits, and that specific exemption controls over…
Is a Florida fire district created by county ordinance subject to the Independent Special Fire Control District Act?
No. The AG concluded that the Okaloosa Island Fire District, because it was created by county ordinance rather than by special act or general law of local application, does not meet Chapter 191's defi…
Can a Florida municipality apply to convert an existing public school into a charter school?
No, not a conversion charter school. The AG concluded that section 1002.33(3)(b) limits conversion-charter applications to the district school board, the principal, teachers, parents, and/or the schoo…
What counts as 'valuable consideration' under Florida's ban on paying for the privilege of towing cars from private property?
The AG explained that 'valuable consideration' in Florida's towing statute means something that confers a measurable pecuniary benefit, not just money. Whether any particular arrangement crosses that …
Can classroom teachers help decide how a Florida school spends its School Recognition Program award money?
Yes. The AG read 'school's staff' in section 1008.36 broadly enough to include classroom teachers, so teachers could take part in the joint decision with the school advisory council about how recognit…
Does the Florida False Claims Act let someone sue over a false claim made to a city or municipality?
No. Attorney General Pam Bondi concluded the Florida False Claims Act reaches false or fraudulent claims made to state executive-branch agencies, not claims presented to a municipality. A city is neit…
Does Florida require the $20 Crime Stoppers court cost on every criminal conviction, or only when another fine is imposed?
On every criminal conviction. The 2010 Legislature rewrote section 938.06 so the $20 Crime Stoppers court cost is an independent, mandatory charge the clerk collects on any criminal conviction (includ…
Does a city have to follow CRA public-notice rules to lease city land that sits in a redevelopment area but was bought for other reasons?
No. The 30-day public-notice procedure in section 163.380(3)(a) applies to property acquired for community redevelopment. It does not reach city-owned land that happens to sit inside a redevelopment a…
Did Florida's 2010 permit-extension law apply to building permits issued by cities, not just state permits?
Yes. The 2010 amendment to section 380.06 (Chapter 2010-147) applied to building permits issued by local governments, not just state-agency permits. It gave a two-year extension to permits with expira…
Does the Florida Transportation Commission oversee the Florida Statewide Passenger Rail Commission?
No, not over the authorities the rail commission monitors. In informal comments, the Attorney General's office concluded the 2009 law creating the Florida Statewide Passenger Rail Commission carved th…
Can a Florida notary notarize a signature over live video instead of in person?
In informal comments, the AG's office read section 117.107(9) to require the signer's actual physical presence before the notary, so a live video teleconference would not satisfy the 'presence' requir…
What counts as a 'subcounty special district' for Florida's local tourist development tax?
The AG said the phrase 'subcounty special district' in section 125.0104(3)(b) is not defined, so it appears to mean any special district that meets the statute's requirement of embracing all or a sign…
Can a Florida city spend its traffic-fine automation money on mobile data terminals and the monthly fees to run them?
Attorney General Bill McCollum concluded that a city may use the traffic-fine money it receives under section 318.21(9) to pay not just for devices like mobile data terminals and portable units (a Bla…
Can a Florida county charge an extra plan-review or inspection fee just because a new home has a fire sprinkler system?
The AG concluded no. Section 633.025(9) bars a local government or utility from charging any plan-review or inspection fee above what a non-sprinklered home pays, on the basis that a one- or two-famil…
Does Florida give a public employee on active military leave 30 calendar days or 30 working days of full pay?
The AG declined to call the city's reading wrong. Section 115.09 grants the first 30 days of active-military-service leave 'with full pay' without saying calendar or working days, but longstanding AG …
Does the rule that no one may interfere with a Florida building official stop other government staff from reviewing permits?
In informal comments, the AG's office explained that section 468.604(1)'s command that a building code administrator or official perform their duties 'without interference from any person' is not limi…
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Attorney general opinions in Florida are written by the Florida Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.