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Commissioners pause prior hiring practice, direct legal to draft confirmation process
Summary
After heated debate over Florida statute 125.74 and local practice, the Walton County commission voted to stop relying on the prior informal 2017 confirmation practice and directed county attorneys to draft a formal confirmation policy and hold a public workshop.
Walton County commissioners moved to end the informal hiring-confirmation practice the board had followed and asked county legal staff to draft a written confirmation process for future department-head appointments.
The item began with a contentious discussion about Florida Statute 125.74, which addresses county-administrator powers and the confirmation of department heads. County counsel advised the board that the statute applies to a county only if the county expressly adopts that part of the Florida County Administration Act by ordinance; Walton County had not adopted it. Counsel said the practice of following the statute’s confirmation provisions nonetheless created an informal precedent the board had adhered to for years.
Commissioner R. Drake moved to “abandon the 2017 process and cease confirmation of department heads,” a motion the board carried. Commissioners then debated the legal and practical consequences of that action and whether the county should adopt a written policy or ordinance to clarify the county’s hiring/confirmation duties. Commissioner Dan Curry then moved — and the board approved — a directive asking the county attorney to draft a confirmation process and return it at a public workshop scheduled immediately before the next regular meeting so commissioners, staff and the public could review, amend and adopt a formal rule.
County counsel told the commission the options are (1) adopt the County Administration Act (part of Chapter 125) by ordinance and include a confirmation procedure, (2) adopt a separate county resolution or personnel-policy language to require confirmation, or (3) declare the board will not follow confirmation practice going forward. Counsel recommended against leaving the status quo ambiguous.
The board’s final directive asks legal staff to consult commissioners, return with a draft process and present it in a public workshop within two weeks to allow the county to clarify how department-head appointments will be handled going forward.
