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March 31, 1953
Honorable Russell 0. Morrow
Florida State Senator
Coneau Building
West Palu Beach, Florida
Dear Mr. Morrow:
I have Just read a proposed draft of a Bill
dealing with the fees and commissions of county officials.
I am very much opposed to this proposed legislation for
the following reasons:
It does not in any shape. manner or form do
away with the fee systen. It sinpl takes away the control
of the fees from the official and p aces then under the
control of the county omission. That singly means that the
employees in any office would more or less look to the
Board of County Commissioners for their pay checks and when
the do this you know as well as I do that with none goes
con rol. It wouldn't be long until the official wo d be
subject to political pressure to employ certain people or
to fire certain people. Under the present system every
public official is strictly audited. every dollar he takes
in is accounted for and every dollar paid out to who. and
when it was paid. I can see no good in this proposed legis-
lation, only evil insofar as the public official is concerned.
The next thine I object to is salaries based on
population. Population of a county is a factor in arriving
at the volume of work for a public official, but in the
assessor's office it is certainl not the controlling factor.
In this county we have many spec al taxing districts and
many drainage districts which cause a great deal of detail
work for both the assessor and collector. Duvsl County has
a much larger population than Pals Beach County, but the work
of preparing the tax roll in Dnval County and collecting the
roll is much less than it is in Pain Beach County.
The next objection is the principle of it. The
8111 proposes to pay an official a certain sun for his
salary irrespective of whether his fees and commissions
amount to that salary or not. If the fees and commissions
were not sufficient to seat the salary a tax would be
levied in the Bounty to make up the difference. I an opposed
COPY
Ben. Russell 0. Morrow 3-31-53
-2-
to such a policy. "by should I as a taxpayer in a county
pay a tax to guarantee the sheriff a flat salary, or any
other public official within the count Under the present
set-up county officials are paid for w t they do. A
sheriff in a saall county would not be interested in arrest-
ing anybody if he knew he had a flat salary coming. A tax
assessor wouldn't particularly be interested in getting
all the property on the tax roll. particularly personal
property. cattle and things of that nature. Now his living
depends on doing a good Job. Under the proposed legislation
with a definite salary being paid by the taxpayers he would
not be necessarily as.aggressiwe as he is now, nor as econo-
mical in the managing of his office.
Then too, all public officials ran for their
Jobs knowing what the commissions were and Just about what
the fees were and I think the principle of paying salaries
out of taxpayers' money is bad. In the larger counties
like Palm Beach, we are on a salary now. All fees. as I
stated above, that are taken in are accounted for and every
dollar psid out and the accounts are audited by the State
Auditing Department. All this Bill would do in the larger
counties would be to take away tron the elected officials
the right to control their own finances. The same thing
would apply to the smaller counties except in the smaller
counties where the commissions are not very great the offi-
cial wouldn't care because his flat salary guaranteed by
the taxpayer would exceed his commissions and that is all
he would be interested in.
Another ob ection that I have to this Bill is
that it does not incl e the Justices of the Peace and
Constables. I do not know why these public officials were
omitted from the proposed Bill.
One other thing, when a public official ran for
his Job he knew what the set-up was and I think it unfair to
change so definitely the management and operation of an
office during the official's tern of office. Personally, I
wouldn't have any political Job going out before the public
and asking than to vote for me and telling them I expect to
run the sssessor's office or any other office and then have
the control of that office placed in some board or bureau.
(J
Hon. Russell 0. Morrow 3-31-53
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This Bill was dreun, I believe, end sponsored
by Louis Hell, en attorney in Tellehessee. who does e greet
desl of lobbying during the Legislsture. as ne not the sole
force behind this proposed legisletion, but s committee use
eppointed known as the Advisory Cos-ittee. lhis Conittee
bed as its cheirnen e college professor, of the Floride Stete
University, by the heme of Do lo. I do not believe Hr.
Doyle ever ren_for e public 0 fice or ever hed any experience
in political office end I resent college professors trying
to dictete the policies of this Stete.
Our public school system is e very fine exemple
of whet college professors cen do to ruin locsl self-government.
Our shcools ere not locelly controlled et all. Our locel
school hoerd end superintendent, elected b the people, heve
prectieell no euthority but must tske the r instructions
from some osrd in Tellshessee. This proposed Bill that I
heve referred to sets up e Board in Tellehessee es the finel
ssy-so on budgets end the fineness of e county officiel. The
oentrslisetion of government end the creetion of beerds in
Tellehessee with euthority to govern the ections of looel
cfficiels is very objectioneble to es. These college pro-
fessors seen to teke the ides thet the public in e county
hesn't sense eno to nenege their own effsirs end elect
their can officie s. The next step will be e Bosrd that
will eppoint public officisls in the respective counties.
I look for this sny tine now. Our Deaooretic form of govern.
ment will hreek down if this sort of legisletion is epproved.
I certsinly would eppreciete your cereful consi-
deretion end if you cen, I hope you will oppose this Bill.
With very best wishes, I en
Very truly ymr s ,
Jhnes H. Owens, Jr.
This sens letter meiled to:
Hon. 8. Elliott
Hon. John Bollbnger
JHO/no
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