Lee County officially became a charter county on Jan. 1, 1997, after voters approved a local Home Rule Charter in a referendum held Nov. 5, 1996. It was the 16th Florida county to do so. Charlotte County adopted its charter status in 1986.
Becoming a charter county grants the region “Home Rule” authority, allowing it to establish its own local constitution to govern structure, powers and duties rather than following the general state laws that govern non-charter counties.
Charter counties empower residents to manage local affairs directly and define their government structure, commission and mayoral or administrator roles. Historically, Florida’s counties were arms of the state, with powers strictly defined by state mandate.
How it started
The 1957 “Home Rule Amendment” to the Florida Constitution (Article VIII, Section 11) specifically authorized Dade County (now Miami-Dade) to adopt its own charter, becoming the first Florida county with broad self-governance powers, while a more general municipal home rule amendment in the 1968 Constitution (Article VIII, Section 2) granted cities and other counties broad powers to govern themselves, allowing them to handle local issues like water, roads and zoning…