Taylor County commissioners move to align nepotism policy with Florida statute 112.3135

Commissioner Feele asked the board on June 1 to compare Taylor County's nepotism policy with Florida Statute 112.3135 and update the county policy where it is less restrictive. County counsel (referred to in the record as the county attorney) reviewed the state statute for the board and recited the statute's definition of relatives that can trigger nepotism restrictions.

The attorney read aloud the statute's definition, noting it covers a broad list of relatives including "father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, or half-sister." The attorney told the board the state law is more stringent where it applies, and that the county must follow state law when the statute is stricter than local policy.

Board members discussed that county policy previously narrowed "immediate family" to exclude aunt, uncle and cousin for bereavement and other administrative purposes; commissioners asked staff to restore the broader set of relatives where required by state law and to bring a revised policy back for board action. Several commissioners emphasized the need to ensure the county's definition does not create conflicts with bereavement or other policies.

Next steps: staff and counsel will prepare revised nepotism language that mirrors Florida Statute 112.3135 and return to the board for consideration and potential adoption.