Any person seeking the office of either City Council or Mayor, must be a qualified and registered voter of the City of Zephyrhills and have been a resident of the City for a six-month period immediately preceding the next election to qualify for any City elective office.
Resident. In order for a candidate to be a resident of the City, that candidate must have his or her primary physical residence and dwelling within the boundaries of the City at all times material, prior to election and during the entire term. It is the intent of this Charter that the term “resident” as used herein to describe any person seeking or holding elective office in the City shall be strictly construed.
Filing Fees and Nominating Petitions. The City Council may set filing fees to be paid by candidates at the time of qualifying to run for elective office. The nomination of all candidates for elective offices shall be made by nominating petitions. The name of any elector of the City having the necessary qualifications to hold the office may be nominated for the election to such office when a petition shall be filed with the City Clerk, signed by not less than twenty-five (25) registered voters of the City. The signatures to a nominating petition need not all be on one paper.
Sample Form:
Such nominating petition shall be substantially in the following form:
“We the undersigned, being registered voters of the City of Zephyrhills, hereby present (here write name of candidate) whose residence is in the City of Zephyrhills, as a candidate for election to the office of (here insert name of office) at the election to be held in the City of Zephyrhills on the day of 20 .
(Name and Address of Petitioner) (Date of Signing)”
Such nomination petition shall not be signed by any elector more than sixty (60) days prior to the date of such election, and all papers comprising such petition shall be securely fastened together and filed as one petition with the City Clerk during the designated qualifying period prior to the election.
('74 Code, Charter § 51.041) (Ord. 533, passed 1-28-91, amendment adopted by electorate 4-9-91; Am. Ord. 956-06, passed 5-8-06, amendment adopted by electorate 4-11-06)