The Citrus County legislative delegation voted to approve repeal of a local 2001 House bill that specified the rights of certain employees and appointees of the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office.

Representative JJ Growe, who introduced and explained the measure, said the 2001 law described positions and personnel timelines that no longer match the sheriff’s office’s structure. Growe said Florida statutes already provide protections for sworn officers and many county employees, and that keeping the local law would limit flexibility for newly elected sheriffs.

Sheriff Dave Vincent told the delegation the bill’s language “was very outdated” and could hamstring a newly elected sheriff’s ability to appoint a command structure. Vincent said Florida Statute chapter 30 and other state protections, plus the sheriff’s office’s internal policies and career service appeal boards, already protect employees except for the highest ranking law-enforcement official under the sheriff.

After public comments were closed, Representative Growe moved to proceed with repeal and waived a formal closing statement. A roll call was taken; Representative Growe and Chair Angolia recorded “yea,” and the chair announced the local bill had passed and would be filed with the Florida House of Representatives for the standard committee process in Tallahassee.

Why it matters: Delegation members said removing an obsolete local statute would align county practice with current state law and agency structure and would prevent conflicting or redundant personnel rules from remaining on the books. The repeal will be transmitted to Tallahassee for the state-law committee process; it must clear committees and both chambers before reaching the governor’s desk.

What the delegation recorded: The meeting transcript shows Representative JJ Growe introduced the proposed repeal, Sheriff Dave Vincent testified in favor of repeal, there was no public testimony in opposition, and a roll call passed the measure. The transcript does not record a full roll-call tally of all delegation members present or a written motion text beyond the sponsor’s description.