General Info

The State of Florida constitution divides the state government into three separate and relatively independent branches, including executive, legislative and judicial. Each branch is sovereign in its own area of responsibility, but is also influenced by the checks and balances from the other branches. It is basically the same governmental model found at the national level and in all other 50 states of the United States. Its executive branch is the law-administering and law-enforcing branch of the government. The branch is patterned along the lines of a large corporation with the governor serving as chairman of the board and the three independently elected cabinet members serving as directors. The state s legislative branch is the law-making branch and is composed of two houses, including the Senate and the House of Representatives. Additionally, its judicial branch is the law-interpreting branch where powers are exercised primarily through courts established by the state constitution.