Fla. Stat. § 27.704
This is the official text of Fla. Stat. § 27.704, part of Florida’s Stat — part of the compiled statutory law of Florida, published by the state as "Stat." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
27.704 Appointment of assistants and other staff.
Official statutory text
Each capital collateral regional counsel may:
(1) Appoint, employ, and establish, in such numbers as he or she determines, full-time or part-time assistant counsel, investigators, and other clerical and support personnel who shall be paid from funds appropriated for that purpose. A full-time assistant capital collateral counsel must not be disqualified pursuant to s. 27.7045; must be a member in good standing of The Florida Bar, with not less than 3 years’ experience in the practice of criminal law; and, prior to employment, must have participated in at least five felony jury trials, five felony appeals, or five capital postconviction evidentiary hearings or any combination of at least five of such proceedings. Law school graduates who do not have the qualifications of a full-time assistant capital collateral counsel may be employed as members of the legal staff but may not be designated as sole counsel for any person.
(2) Contract with private counsel who are members in good standing of The Florida Bar or with public defenders for the purpose of providing prompt and cost-effective representation for individuals who are sentenced to death in this state. A private counsel or public defender under contract with the regional counsel must not be disqualified pursuant to s. 27.7045; must have at least 3 years’ experience in the practice of criminal law; and, prior to the contract, must have participated in at least two capital trials or capital sentencing proceedings, five felony appeals, or five capital postconviction evidentiary hearings, or any combination of at least five of such proceedings.
(3) Appoint pro bono assistant counsel, who must be members in good standing of The Florida Bar, and who shall serve without compensation at the discretion of the capital collateral regional counsel.
History: s. 3, ch. 85-332; s. 148, ch. 95-147; s. 4, ch. 97-313; s. 6, ch. 2013-216.
(1) Appoint, employ, and establish, in such numbers as he or she determines, full-time or part-time assistant counsel, investigators, and other clerical and support personnel who shall be paid from funds appropriated for that purpose. A full-time assistant capital collateral counsel must not be disqualified pursuant to s. 27.7045; must be a member in good standing of The Florida Bar, with not less than 3 years’ experience in the practice of criminal law; and, prior to employment, must have participated in at least five felony jury trials, five felony appeals, or five capital postconviction evidentiary hearings or any combination of at least five of such proceedings. Law school graduates who do not have the qualifications of a full-time assistant capital collateral counsel may be employed as members of the legal staff but may not be designated as sole counsel for any person.
(2) Contract with private counsel who are members in good standing of The Florida Bar or with public defenders for the purpose of providing prompt and cost-effective representation for individuals who are sentenced to death in this state. A private counsel or public defender under contract with the regional counsel must not be disqualified pursuant to s. 27.7045; must have at least 3 years’ experience in the practice of criminal law; and, prior to the contract, must have participated in at least two capital trials or capital sentencing proceedings, five felony appeals, or five capital postconviction evidentiary hearings, or any combination of at least five of such proceedings.
(3) Appoint pro bono assistant counsel, who must be members in good standing of The Florida Bar, and who shall serve without compensation at the discretion of the capital collateral regional counsel.
History: s. 3, ch. 85-332; s. 148, ch. 95-147; s. 4, ch. 97-313; s. 6, ch. 2013-216.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Florida?
Find a Florida lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.