FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Social Sciences Askew School of Public Administration and Policy FALL 2011 PAD 6300 Government Administration in Florida INSTRUCTOR: Professor Lance dehaven-smith OFFICE: Bellamy Building, Room 652 OFFICE HOURS: CONTACT: Wednesdays, 1:30 PM - 3:30 or by appointment (850) 567-8636 or ldehavensmith@fsu.edu Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change. COURSE DESCRIPTION This is an online course on Florida government, including its history, constitutions, politics, policies, and intergovernmental relations. The course examines the role of public administrators in the existing pattern of relationships between federal, state, and local governments with emphasis on administrative organization and public policy. COURSE ORGANIZATION As background, the initial section of the course focuses on the constitutional context of intergovernmental relations. Assigned readings and related materials include the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and a number of important presidential addresses. The purpose of this section of the course is to study and analyze the evolution of the American federal system. In the main part of the course, we will turn our attention to developing an understanding of state and local governmental administration in Florida, including state government as an operating institution within the federal system, and the origins and development of Florida s state government. In so doing, we will look at the three levels of government in Florida (state, regional, and local) and how each functions in relation to the others. The final part of the course will be devoted to several areas of public policy that have been central to Florida state and local government over the past several decades. The policy areas to be examined are growth management and budgeting and taxation. COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Course goals and objectives are to provide students with a basic understanding of the structure, organization and administration of state and local government in Florida. By the end of the course, students should be knowledgeable about the historical development of Florida's complex system of state and local government, its response to major challenges in the past, and the main issues confronting the state-local system now and for the foreseeable future.
ONLINE DELIVERY AND STUDENT PARTICIPATION All assignments are to be completed by students working independently and submitted through the course website on Blackboard. Deadlines for submitting completed assignments are listed below in the Course Outline. Late submissions are penalized one-half of a letter for each week or partial week of tardiness, e.g., an A becomes an A-, an A- becomes a B+, and so on. Students are expected to have an email account and must have internet access to the Blackboard system at http://campus.fsu.edu. A number of the assigned readings are available only online at the course website on Blackboard; videos of lectures are posted on the course website; and the final exam will be administered and taken online. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Course assignments include (1) six short essays; (2) a term paper; (3) a final exam; and (4) participation in class discussions via discussion boards on the course website on Blackboard. Essay assignments are directly related to assigned readings. One week is devoted to the readings, and the next week is for the essay. We will alternate in this way between readings and written assignments over the course of the semester except for the last essay which will cover two weeks of readings. Term Paper: Describe and analyze Florida government as an intergovernmental system. What are the defined roles, responsibilities, and powers of the system's elements at the state, regional, and local levels? Identify and discuss any points of intergovernmental conflict within and between each level of government. Conclude by proposing reforms to resolve or mitigate the intergovernmental tensions or imbalances you identify. Due December 3. Submission Requirements: Each essay and the term paper must be submitted electronically through SafeAssign at the course website on Blackboard. Go to the Assignments folder, locate the appropriate assignment, and submit your essay or term paper. This will run your work through FSU s plagiarism checker. GRADING POLICY Grading of all written assignments will be based on the quality of the writing, the accuracy and relevance of the information presented, and the proper citation of assigned texts, Florida Statutes, and posted reports. Each of the six essays counts 6%, for a total of 36%; the Term Paper counts 24%; the Final Exam counts 25%; and participation in class discussion boards will count 15%. The numerical standards converted into final letter grades for the course are: A, 93-100; A-, 90-92; B+, 87-89; B, 83-86; B-, 80-82. The breakdown within the letter grades below B is the same as for B. In the computation of grades, decimals of.5 or higher are rounded up, while decimals below.5 are rounded down. Academic Honor Code: The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University s expectations for the integrity of student s academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of
students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to be honest and truthful and...to strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University. (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://dof.fsu.edu/honorpolicy.htm ) Americans with Disabilities Act: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. REQUIRED TEXTS Florida Megatrends: Critical Issues in Florida, David Colburn and Lance dehaven- Smith, most recent edition. Government and Politics in Florida, Third Edition by J. Edwin Benton (Paperback, 2008). COURSE OUTLINE Week Of: August 27 Florida s Population Growth Watch video introduction to the class (posted in the Videos folder in the course library ) Watch videos Florida s Megatrends 1 and Florida s Megatrends 2 (posted in the Videos folder in the course library ). If you want to see the slides presented in the video, the PowerPoint presentation is posted in the Course Library on Blackboard. Suggested: Benton, Introduction. Florida s Megatrends, Chapters 1, 2, and 3 Familiarize yourself with Florida Statistical Abstract. This is available at the reference room in all university libraries in Florida and most public libraries as well. Consider how the Abstract tracks state and local government activities (number of units, revenues, expenditures, etc.) This will be relevant to your Term Paper. Note that historic population data from the 2009 Florida Statistical Abstract is posted on the Course Library in both SPSS and Excel formats.
September 3 Current Events Related to Growth Students are expected to identify current events in Florida related to the state's history of population growth and governmental reform. Students should look for newspaper articles and other materials available online. Events can be from the past 24 months. Write an essay no longer than 300 words discussing how the current events related to the state's history of population growth and governmental reform. Due on September 10. September 10 The U.S. and Florida Constitutions Watch video on History of Florida Government (posted in the Videos folder in the course library ) Suggested: U. S. Constitution (posted on Course Library) The Gettysburg Address (posted on Course Library) Current Florida Constitution (posted on Course Library) Florida Ordinance of Secession (posted on Course Library) Florida Constitutions of 1838, 1861, 1865, 1868, and 1885. This material relates to the Term Paper in that the Constitution of 1968 is a reaction to the Constitution of 1885, which was a reaction to the Constitution of 1868. This will be evident when you read the Constitutions. September 17 Write a 300-500 word essay on Florida s secession from the Union. Did the Constitution prohibit secession? Did the Constitution authorize the Union to suppress the rebellion? Is there a difference between secession and rebellion? What did the Gettysburg Address imply about these issues (hint: What document was being referenced by pointing to four score and seven years ago?) Due September 24. September 24 Intergovernmental Relations Watch video on City-County Conflict (posted in the Videos folder in the course library ) Benton Chapters 9, 11, and 12 Government in the Sunshine State, Chapters 1 and 2 (available online through Worldcat on FSU Libraries website). This material will help you understand the context in which Florida s six constitutions were written and how they evolved.
October 1 Write a 300-500 word essay summarizing intergovernmental relations in Florida. What are the main issues or factors contributing to intergovernmental tensions? How, if all, are these tensions addressed? Due October 8. October 8 Florida Politics Watch videos Florida Megatrends 3, Florida Megatrends 4, Florida Megatrends 5, and Florida Megatrends 6. If you want to see the slides presented in the video, the PowerPoint presentation is posted in the Course Library on Blackboard. Suggested: Benton, Chapters 2-6. The most recent edition of the Florida Handbook. This is available at the reference room in all university libraries in Florida and most public libraries as well. This book has a wealth of historical examples of intergovernmental tensions and conflicts for inclusion in your Term Paper. October 15 Write a 300-500 word essay explaining why Obama-Biden defeated McCain-Palin in Florida in the 2008 presidential election even though Florida s state legislature, executive (cabinet and governor) and Congressional delegation are majority Republican. Was the Obama-Biden victory an isolated event, or does it indicate a partisan shift among the Florida electorate? Who will win this year (2012)? Why? Due October 22. October 22 Local Government Watch video on Forms of City Government (posted in the Videos folder in the course library ) October 29 Benton, Chapter 10 and 13 Interposition Resolution at http://www.floridamemory.com/floridahighlights/collins/ Florida Statutes defining roles and responsibilities of counties and cities with respect to annexation Final Report of the 1996-1997 Local Government Commission (posted) Cities and counties often disagree about annexation and incorporation. Write 300-500
word essay analyzing this tension and how it is affected, for good or ill, by Florida Statutes. Due November 5. November 5 Growth and Taxes Benton, Chapter 16 Florida s Megatrends, Chapter 4, 5, and 6 2009 growth management legislation (available on the Florida Senate s website) The ELMS III Report (posted) 1000 Friends of Florida Report on Florida in 2060 November 12 Growth and Taxes (Continued) Benton, Chapter 12 Collins Center Report on Florida s financial future (posted) Local Government Center s Report on Unfunded Mandates (posted) Taxation and Budget Reform Commission Reports, 1991, 2008 November 19 Write a 300-500 word essay on Florida s difficulty in paying for the services and facilities required by its rapidly growing population. What was the state s experience with the concurrency requirement? (Be sure to explain what concurrency is.) Conclude by offering recommended reforms and explain how the reforms would address the problems cited in your analysis. Due November 26. November 26 December 3 Finish term paper. Due December 3. Discussion forum to review for the final exam. The professor will be answering student questions on December 3 and 4. December 10 Final Exam This is an open-book exam. The exam will be available on the Assignments section of the course website on Blackboard for taking from 3:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m., December 10. However, students will have a maximum of three hours to complete the exam. The exam will have 40-50 multiple choice questions.