State Government

Florida State Government

The Government is the youngest of the four main factions on ANZUSGaming. The Government is arguably the most roleplay-heavy faction on the island, being in charge of legislation, the state’s budget, and companies. It is an innovative faction that brings a lot of new departments and opportunities to the island - all of which allows the players to influence the island in their own way.

Florida Governor's Office

The Governor

The Governor is an individual popularly elected by the rest of the player base. His most supreme duty is to be the Chief Executive Officer to the State. As the state manager, the Governor is responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the executive branch. In addition, the Governor has the ability to issue administrative orders and veto bills passed by the State Senate.

The Governor carries out his management and leadership responsibilities with the assistance and support of department and agency heads - most of whom he personally appoints when he takes office. This includes the Commissioner of Revenue, the Secretary of Legislative Affairs, the Secretary of Infrastructure, and each of their respective departments.

Administrative Orders

On the island, the only person who has the ability to issue administrative orders is the Governor. An administrative order is a decision that allows the Governor to administratively direct an agency of the Government to act in a certain way.

Perhaps most notably, the “vest law”, as it has come to be known, was an administrative order issued by Governor Blax (Fmr.) that directed the police to arrest individuals with illegal magazines visible on their vests under “Possession of Illegal Magazines”. The vests, which are and were extremely popular, quickly became a rare sight. The order was met by such extreme hesitation and outrage in the gang community, that it became decidedly dangerous for the Governor to move around. The order was repealed only 8 days after its implementation following the 3rd sophisticated assassination attempt on the Governor since its introduction. The “vest law” has come to be known as a testament to the power the Governor has at his disposal.

Clemency

Commissioned in May of 2021, the Clemency Board acts as the first point of appeal in criminal cases. The Clemency Board is an important cornerstone in the roleplay aspect of the island, as it allows condemned individuals to have their cases reviewed by respected members of the community and senior members of the government. All clemency meetings and hearings are led by the Chairman in the Capitol. From State Command to civilian group leaders, the clemency board consists of a wide variety of individuals, all of which are well known on the island and handpicked by the Governor and Secretary of Clemency.

Perhaps most notably in the case of Vuk Slamsuger, when the clemency board concluded that the process of his case was deeply flawed, both by his own defense, but also in the representation of evidence by the prosecution. Ultimately it was concluded that both the Public Defenders Office and District Attorney’s Office had violated Slamsuger’s Sixth Amendment rights and the judgment of life imprisonment was overturned for a lesser sentence.

Department of Law

Florida Court System

The Courts exist to do justice, to guarantee liberty, to enhance social order, to resolve disputes, to maintain rule of law, to provide for equal protection, and to ensure due process of law. Primarily used for criminal trials, the Courts also allow for a peaceful setting wherein private disputes are settled by an impartial and objective individual - the judge.

The Court System on the island is made up of two courts - the District Court and the Supreme Court, both of which have varying responsibilities.

District Court

The District Court is the main trial court of Florida and is vested with original jurisdiction over crimes committed within the State. In addition to that, it has the authority to hear all cases due to its general and civil jurisdiction. The jurisdiction of the district court is invoked under Florida State Rules of Court, Article 2, section 1 - 3. The District Court’s main responsibility is to resolve disputes by determining the facts and applying legal principles to decide who is right.

By and through the District Court, citizens can apply for marriage licenses, appeal tickets, and file civil complaints (also known as filing a suit). Government authorities on the other hand use the District Court primarily to file indictments of individuals accused of a crime. Additionally, police and other law enforcement entities can apply for warrants behind closed doors.

District Court cases are presided by one of seven judges and overseen by the chief judge.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court acts primarily as an appellate court. Like the District Court, the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is invoked under Florida State Rules of Court, Article 2, section 1 - 3. Uniquely, cases may only be brought before the Supreme Court by an attorney called to the BAR of the Supreme Court - of which there are currently only 14 members.

The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice and his associate justices. In turn, the Chief Justice and the associate justices are the heads of the Department of Law.

The BAR Association

The BAR Association is the association for individuals admitted to the BAR. To exercise law (with the exclusion of pro se litigants) an individual must be admitted to the BAR association, and act according to the constitution of the State BAR. The BAR consists of individuals admitted hereto, an elected president and vice president, and a board of Governors, who are in charge of disciplinary actions. In addition to the normal BAR, admitted individuals may be called to the BAR of the Supreme Court by the Chief Justice.

To become BAR Certified, one must sit and pass the BAR Examination - an exam that assesses your knowledge of the law in order to determine whether or not you’d be a competent attorney.

Public Defender's Office

The Public Defenders Office, or PDO for short, are the public defenders on the island. The public defenders act primarily as criminal defense attorneys and are paid by the Government. The PDO ensures that all citizens on the island can receive a competent criminal defense regardless of whether or not they can afford to pay for a private attorney.

The PDO is led by the Chief Public Defender and the Assistant Chief Public Defenders. To become a Public Defender one must be admitted to the BAR and apply at the Government website.

District Attorney's Office

The District Attorney’s Office, or DAO for short, are the prosecutors on the island. The main job of the District Attorney and his deputies is to prosecute crimes against the state laws and local ordinances. The DAO is staffed by experienced attorneys who present the state’s evidence to a judge for a determination of guilt or innocence.

The District Attorney and Assistant District Attorney are the top law enforcers on the island, and do, like all other members of the District Attorney’s Office, possess a badge and the ability to conduct arrests. Even though it is VERY rarely seen, part of the DAO’s job is to assist in the execution of warrants pertaining to their cases. They work very closely with the police on the island, however, so it is rarely needed.

The DAO is led by the District Attorney and the Assistant District Attorney. To become a prosecutor one must be admitted to the BAR, have served with the Public Defender’s Office, and apply on the government website.

Court Officers

Court Security Officers exist to maintain law and order in the courts. Primarily through acting as bailiffs and personal security details to the justices while in recess.

The Court Security Officers are hired by the Chief Registrar of the Courts (the administrative head). To become a court security officer one must be deputized in another capacity already.

Florida State Legislature

State Senators

The State Senate is comprised of high-ranking staff members in the community, more specifically the group known as the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Their duty as senators is to vote on and voice concerns about bills proposed in the Senate by the Legislative Affairs Office. In the past, Senators were exclusively derived from the Senior Management Team, but due to their high workload, this caused the passage of bills to be severely slowed.

Current Senators

Senate President: Doug Jumper

Senate Speaker: Mort Higgins

Senator of the Snowy River Embassy, Steve Snow

Senator of the French Lands, Trevis Karma

Senator of the North West Bay, Jesse Tigerwood

First British Senator, Jack Knight

Senator, Jack Fire

Senator, George Cown

Senator, Dillon Boyd

Regional Senator of the top left island with the radar station, Paul Phantom

Former Senators

Senate Speaker, George Matthews (Ret.)

Senator of the inhabited top right island with the Helicopter Gas Station, Casey Gallo (Fmr.)

Senator of the Slums of Florida, Tyrell Lee (Fmr.)

Legislative Affairs Office

The Legislative Affairs Office, or LAO for short, is the main legislative body of the state. Members of the LAO are usually influential, prominent members of the community and are handpicked by the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Legislative Affairs Secretary.

All members of the LAO have the ability to propose bills and vote on them to determine whether or not they should be passed to the Senate - meaning all members have a voice in determining the law on the island. Most of the work the Legislative Affairs Office do is considered classified by order of the Governor until a bill is finished and presented to the State Senate (at which point it becomes public knowledge).

Content Credit

Aiden Sparker