Florida’s Counties, including Brevard County, and Topic of Your Choice

Topic for writing assignment 2:

Note: Both Part I and Part II are included (required) in this assignment. Please devote half of your paper to each part.

Florida’s Counties, including Brevard County, and Topic of Your Choice

Part I:

(Note: If you are in another county, you may use your county for this paper.)

How many counties are in the state of Florida? How many counties in Florida operate under county charters?

What is a county charter? Is Brevard a charter county? If so, when was its charter adopted? Is it a “home rule charter?” What is a home rule charter? Explain.

Which of our government activities are conducted at the county level in Brevard County?

For example, in Florida, elections are conducted at the county level, by each county’s Supervisor of Elections, and county roads are maintained by each county’s public works department, under the Board of County Commissioners.

Give at least two examples, as I did above, of the duties of at least two county-level offices. Explain their roles and responsibilities.

Also provide the names, and any additional information you may find (such as their prior employment or background, their experience, and when they were elected and for how long they may serve), of the elected or appointed officials currently serving in these offices.

Additional research, relevant current events, and your opinions are encouraged.

Important: Properly cite all of your sources throughout your work and on your Works Cited page.

Helpful links:

County information (for Florida)
(Links to an external site.)

Brevard County Charter
(Links to an external site.)

Florida Constitution (see: Article VIII)
(Links to an external site.)

Brevard County government
(Links to an external site.)

Part II:

Topic of your choice

For part two of your paper, choose an item from your textbook about which you have learned this semester. Now relate this to your life, current events, or one specific government decision.

If your topic is historical, do some research on its origins as well as current relevance. If your topic is controversial, do some research on its origins and discuss both sides, including your opinion and reasons for it.

Facts and figures are good to include. Quotes from those with experience in the matter are good to include as well. (You may interview someone for your paper, if you like; simply properly quote and cite the interview.)

Required: Use and cite at least two outside sources on this topic, other than your textbook.

Have fun with it!

Finally, be clear and be sure to follow the length requirements for both parts of this paper. Part one and part two are both required. The entire paper must be a minimum of 1200 words, total.

Again, be sure to cite your work (including the required Works Cited page).

Remember:

*Use MLA format and MLA citation.

*Be sure your entire paper is at least 1200 words (minimum).

Follow these guidelines:

For writing assignments:

1) Answer all questions for each writing assignment fully.

2) Use MLA format and MLA citation for each writing assignment (and cite all of your sources).

The guide for MLA is at this website.

3) Be sure that your paper is at least 1200 to 1600 words. This is the required minimum length for writing assignments. If you do not meet this requirement, you risk receiving a ‘0’ for the paper.

4) Proofread your paper. Correct any spelling, grammar and other mistakes before submitting.

5) Be sure that your paper is not late. Late assignments may result in low, reduced or ‘F’ grades.

6) Submit your paper to the drop box for the writing assignment. The drop box will be clearly marked. Your writing assignment must be in the assignment drop box for me to grade it.

Note: Your writing assignment should include an introduction paragraph, body of text (3 or so paragraphs), and a conclusion paragraph. You are probably familiar with this basic “5-paragraph essay” style. Cite all of your sources (using MLA), assure that your ideas make sense and follow the directions, and you should do well with each paper. Again, please be diligent to catch grammar and spelling mistakes before you submit your work. I will consider grammar and spelling, to assure that it is college-grade. If you use a word processing program (Microsoft Word, etc.), it should catch the most basic of mistakes for you. Still, please check and double-check your work before submitting it for a grade.