The Florida Agricultural Handbook of Solid and Hazardous Waste Regulation: State Agency Structuring1
How are Florida agencies structured?
The majority of state agencies have similar structures. Most agencies maintain their headquarters in Tallahassee and have regional offices throughout the state. Within each agency, there are various divisions, each with its own set of duties. Examples of such divisions include administration, permitting, enforcement, or public information. Within each division is a structure of even greater specificity – the bureau. Bureaus handle many of the divisional duties at a more local level.
How are agency leaders selected and what do they do?
Agency heads are either elected or appointed. Generally, agency heads keep in close contact with the Governor, participating in state government as part of the state Cabinet. Agency heads also work closely with the legislature to be aware of policy changes in order to maintain accurate, up-to-date rules. Agency decisions are all made subject to the discretion of the legislature, to some extent, as the legislature controls the budgets for the agencies each year. The legislature in its oversight capacity may also request information from the agencies and can create and abolish agencies, as long as they are not constitutionally created agencies such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Footnotes
This is EDIS document FE773, a publication of the Food and Resource Economics Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Published November 2008. Please visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
Disclaimer: This handbook is distributed with the understanding that the authors are not engaged in rendering legal or other professional advice and that the information contained herein should not be regarded or relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. This handbook is not all-inclusive in providing information to achieve compliance with laws and regulations governing the practice of agriculture. For these reasons, using these materials constitutes an agreement to hold harmless the authors, the Center for Agricultural and Natural Resource Law, the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and the University of Florida for any liability claims, damages, or expenses that may be incurred by any person or party as a result of reference to or reliance upon the information contained in this handbook.
Michael T. Olexa, professor, Food and Resource Economics Department; director, Center for Agricultural and Natural Resource Law, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; and member, Florida Bar and Agricultural Law Committee of the Florida Bar; and Ian Goldfarb, graduate student, Levin College of Law and Hough Graduate School of Business, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
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