CS/HB 1425 - Broward County Office of Inspector General Act

• Creates the Broward County Office of Inspector General to investigate misconduct, corruption, fraud, waste, and mismanagement by local government officials, employees, contractors, and entities receiving public funds across Broward County local governments, the school district, municipalities, and special districts.

• Establishes a seven-member independent selection committee (comprising representatives from the Mayor, Legislative Delegation, School Board, League of Cities, State Attorney, Public Defender, and Chiefs of Police Association) to hire the Inspector General for 4-year terms with removal only for cause.

• Requires Inspector General candidates to have at least 7 years of experience in law enforcement, judiciary, government law, auditing, or investigation, plus management experience and ideally professional certifications (CIG, CIGI, CIGA, CPA, CIA, or CFE).

• Grants the Inspector General broad investigative powers including subpoena authority, access to all local government records and documents, audit capabilities, and authority to coordinate with law enforcement, with 72-hour notice required before serving subpoenas to state and federal attorneys.

• Funds the office through county budget appropriations plus optional Inspector General contract fees (maximum 0.25 percent) on local government contracts, with initial funding of $200,000 for fiscal year 2010-2011; requires voter approval in November 2010 referendum to take effect and again in November 2016 for continuation.