EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 07-01
STATE OF FLORIDA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 07-01
WHEREAS, the Constitutions of the United States and of Florida provide that "We, the people" establish our federal and state governments; and
WHEREAS, the Constitution of the State of Florida further confirms that all political power flows from the People to our government; and
WHEREAS, by accepting an elected, appointed, or other position in our state government, we have each chosen to take on the responsibility of public service dedicated to the people of Florida; and
WHEREAS, that commitment to service must prevail in the Office of the Governor and each executive agency within its purview; and
WHEREAS, an honest, open, and ethical structure within which government decisions are made is an important factor in building the people’s trust and confidence in their government and its ability to serve the people; and
WHEREAS, to further the goal of maximizing service by the public’s servants, the people of Florida must have access to their state government and their elected and appointed officials, our state government must be responsive to citizens who seek assistance from it, and our state government must communicate in a clear, easily understood manner.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHARLIE CRIST, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section (1)(a) of the Florida Constitution, and all other applicable laws, do hereby promulgate the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:
Section 1. I hereby direct the immediate adoption and implementation of a Code of Ethics by the Office of the Governor. This Code of Ethics applies to all employees within the Office of the Governor, as well as the secretaries, deputy secretaries, and chiefs of staff of all executive agencies under my purview. This Code of Ethics imposes clear, understandable standards that often go beyond the statutory Code of Ethics set forth in Chapter 112, Part III, Florida Statutes.
Each agency secretary is further directed to review and evaluate the current policies adopted at his or her agency in light of this Code of Ethics, with a view to using this Code as the base standard for his or her agency and adjusted for those unique program requirements and variables for his or her agency. Agency secretaries are to implement any agency-specific adjustments to the Code within forty-five (45) days of the date of this Order.
I further direct the immediate adoption and implementation of a Code of Personal Responsibility by the Office of the Governor. The Code of Personal Responsibility applies to all employees within the Office of the Governor and sets forth clear standards and procedures regarding appropriate conduct in the workplace.
Each agency secretary is directed to review and evaluate the Code of Personal Responsibility, with a view to determining whether the agency’s existing personnel policies and procedures require any adjustments based on the standards set forth in that Code. The policy statements set forth in the Code of Personal Responsibility will serve as the minimum standards of conduct for all executive agencies within my purview.
Each agency secretary is to complete the review of the agency’s existing personnel policies and implement any changes to them within forty-five (45) days of the date of this Order.
Each agency secretary is further directed to designate an individual at his or her agency to act as the agency’s chief ethics officer. The agency’s ethics officer will make reasonable efforts to ensure that the employees responsible for adhering to this Code become familiar with relevant ethics, public records and open meeting requirements. I hereby designate my General Counsel to act as the chief ethics officer for the Office of the Governor.
Each agency secretary is further directed to attend training on the subjects of ethics, public records, open meetings, records retention, equal opportunity and proper personnel procedures. Thereafter, each agency secretary will arrange for similar training of his/her employees on an annual basis.
I further direct the periodic review and evaluation of both the Code of Ethics and the Code of Personal Responsibility. The purpose of this periodic review shall be to develop further recommendations as necessary or appropriate to assure that we maintain and effectively enforce the highest ethical standards for state officials and employees, and promote consistency of State agency policies on ethics, public records, open meetings, and personnel matters.
Section 2. I hereby institute the Plain Language Initiative in the Office of the Governor and the executive agencies under my purview. The purpose of this initiative is to ensure that the announcements, publications, and other documents sent by my Office and these agencies contain clear and concise instructions and information. The
Governor’s Office of Citizen Services will provide guidance for the development and implementation of this initiative.
Within ninety (90) days of this Executive Order, each agency, in coordination with the Governor’s Office of Citizen Services, will adopt a plan to implement Plain Language guidelines and standards. While each agency’s plan must take into account the unique programs and requirements of that agency and its customers, all Plain Language plans must provide for documents that include:
- Clear language that is commonly used by the intended audience;
- Only the information needed by the recipient, presented in a logical sequence;
- Short sentences written in the active voice that make it clear who is responsible for what; and
- Layout and design that help the reader understand the meaning on the first try (including adequate white space, bulleted lists, and helpful headings).
Section 3. I hereby create the Office of Open Government within the Office of the Governor. The Office of Open Government is charged with providing the Office of the Governor and each of the executive agencies under my purview with the guidance and tools to serve Florida with integrity and transparency.
To that end, the Office’s primary functions will be: (1) to assure full and expeditious compliance with Florida’s open government and public records laws, and (2) to provide training to all executive agencies under my purview on transparency and accountability. The Office will also have primary responsibility for ensuring that the Office of the Governor complies with public records requests in an expeditious manner.
Each agency secretary is further directed to designate a person at his or her agency who will act as the agency’s public records/open government contact person.
That individual will be responsible for complying with public records/open government requests and compliance at their respective agency and will also be the primary liaison between that agency and the Office of Open Government for purposes of training and compliance.
Section 4. I hereby direct the Governor’s Office of Citizen Services to undertake a systematic evaluation of its own operations, as well as the executive agencies under my purview. This evaluation will include:
- Reviewing current operations and determining any necessary procedural improvements;
- Evaluating capabilities to provide citizen access and identifying areas requiring improvement; and
- Evaluating and recommending necessary technology upgrades or enhancements to improve citizens’ ability to access government services and monitor results.
The Office of Citizen Services will report to me within ninety (90) days on the steps taken to implement this portion of this Executive Order
Section 5. I hereby direct the Office of the Governor and each executive agency under my purview to immediately institute a top-to-bottom review of how each of its employees can better serve the people. The purpose of this review shall be to:
- Install performance-based incentives to improve service;
- Install best practices relating to customer service;
- Enhance procedures for soliciting, receiving and managing new ideas and from the people we serve; and
- Put in place a world-class training and review program to ensure that our public employees maintain their focus on service.
The head of each such agency shall report back to me within one hundred and twenty (120) days on the steps taken to implement this portion of this Executive Order.
Section 6. All state agencies under the direction of the Governor are hereby directed, and all other state agencies are hereby requested, to provide such assistance to the individuals carrying out the directions in this Executive Order as may be requested by them in furtherance of it.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have
hereunto set my hand and caused the Great
Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed, at
Tallahassee, the Capitol, this 2nd day of
January, 2007.
ATTEST: _______orginal signed________________
GOVERNOR
_____orginal signed_________________
SECRETARY OF STATE