Ord No 19-13-2166ORDINANCE NO. 19 -13 -2166
An Ordinance amending Section 8A -2(l) to provide clarification as to the
meaning of language of the limitation period for filing an ethics complaint
and to provide for the repose of complaints.
WHEREAS, the existing statute of limitations for the filing of an ethics complaint with
the city provides that "no action may be taken on a complaint filed more than one year after the
violation is alleged to have accrued "; and
WHEREAS, the word "accrue" is a legal term derived from Latin, meaning literally to
"grow to "; and
WHEREAS, the term "accrued" is not used in a criminal context in the law; and
WHEREAS, the word "accrued" is generally used to mean the time when a civil cause of
action may be maintained; and
WHEREAS, the City's Ethics Code is not criminal in nature and is more in tune with a
civil code violation and would not subject a party to incarceration; and
WHEREAS, a violation of the City's Ethic's Code is likely to not be obvious and may
even be disguised or hidden from the citizens of the City.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Section 1. Section 8A -2 (1) shall be amended to read as follows:
Statute of limitations. No action may be taken on a complaint filed more than one year after the
violation is alleged to have accrued. The word "accrued" shall have its normal civil meaning and
it shall be interpreted in the same manner as the term is used to define when a cause of action
may be brought or maintained in civil court. A violation is alleged to have accrued when it is
known, or should have been known to have occurred, by the complainant. However, in no event
shall a violation accrue more than five (5) years after the occurrence of the violation.
Section 2. Codification. The provisions of this ordinance shall become and be made
part of the Code of Ordinances of the City of South Miami as amended; that the sections of this
ordinance may be renumbered or re- lettered to accomplish such intention; and that the word
"ordinance" may be changed to "section" or other appropriate word.
Page I of 2
f:
Ord. No. 19 -13 -2166
Section 3. Severability. If any section, clause, sentence, or phrase of this ordinance is
for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, this holding
shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance.
Section 4. Ordinances in Conflict. All ordinances or parts of ordinances and all
sections and parts of sections of ordinances in direct conflict herewith are hereby repealed.
However, it is not the intent of this section to repeal entire ordinances, or parts of ordinances,
that give the appearance of being in conflict when the two ordinances can be harmonized or
when only a portion of the ordinance in conflict needs to be repealed to harmonize the
ordinances. If the ordinance in conflict can be harmonized by amending its terms, it is hereby
amended to harmonize the two ordinances. Therefore, only that portion that needs to be repealed
to harmonize the two ordinances shall be repealed.
Section 5. Effective Date. This ordinance shall become effective upon enactment.
PASSED AND ENACTED this 3rd day of September, 2013.
ATTEST:
Q;50
T CLE
I" Reading: 8/6/13
2nd Reading: 8/20/13
3rd Reading: 9/3/13
READ ANDYROVED AS TO FORM
LANGUAL'EGALITY AND
ATTORNEY
Page 2 of 2
APPROVED:
AJ1P11(1Ad1JJ-
MxYOP'
COMMISSION VOTE: 3 -2
Mayor Stoddard:
Yea
Vice Mayor Liebman:
Nay
Commissioner Newman:
Nay
Commissioner Harris:
Yea
Commissioner Welsh:
Yea
r.
MIAMI DAILY BUSINESS REVIEW
Published Daily except Saturday, Sunday and
Legal Holidays
Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida
STATE OF FLORIDA
COUNTY OF MIAMI -DADE:
Before the undersigned authority personally appeared
MARIA MESA, who on oath says that he or she is the
LEGAL CLERK, Legal Notices of the Miami Daily Business
Review f /k/a Miami Review, a daily (except Saturday, Sunday
and Legal Holidays) newspaper, published at Miami in Miami -Dade
County, Florida; that the attached copy of advertisement,
being a Legal Advertisement of Notice in the matter of
CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI
PUBLIC HEARING - SEPT. 3, 2013
in the XXXX Court,
was published in said newspaper in the issues of
08/23/2013
Affiant further says that the said Miami Daily Business
Review is a newspaper published at Miami in said Miami -Dade
County, Florida and that the said newspaper has
heretofore been continuously published in said Miami -Dade County,
Florida, each day (except Saturday, Sunday and Legal Holidays)
and has been entered as second class mail matter at the post
office in Miami in said Miami -Dade County, Florida, for a
period of one year next preceding the first publication of the
attached copy of advertisement; and aff iant further says that he or
she has neither paid nor promised any person, firm or corporation
any discount, rebate, c r refund for the purpose
of securing this a rtisement for p blication in the said
news o F.
Sworn to a`nd subscribed before me this
23 y of ST A.D. 2013
(SEAL)
MARIA MESA personally known to me
B. THOMAS
.= Commission # DD 937532
�k Expires November 2, 2013
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