(1) A board is established within the Division of Professions of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to be known as the Board of Pilot Commissioners. The board shall be composed of 10 members, to be appointed by the Governor, as follows: five members shall be licensed state pilots actively practicing their profession; two members shall be actively involved in a professional or business capacity in the maritime industry, marine shipping industry, or commercial passenger cruise industry; one member shall be a certified public accountant with at least 5 years of experience in financial management; and two members shall be citizens of the state. The latter three board members shall not be involved in, or have any financial interest in, the piloting profession, the maritime industry, the marine shipping industry, or the commercial passenger cruise industry. The board shall perform such duties and possess and exercise such powers relative to the protection of the waters, harbors, and ports of this state as are prescribed and conferred on it in this chapter.
(2) Each member shall be appointed for a term of 4 years. The Governor shall have power to remove members of the board from office for neglect of duty required by this chapter, for incompetency, or for unprofessional conduct. Any vacancy which may occur in the board in consequence of death, resignation, removal from the state, or other cause shall be filled for the unexpired term by the Governor in the same manner. A majority of those serving on the board shall constitute a quorum.
(3) In appointing members to the board who are pilots, the Governor shall appoint one member from the state at large; one member from any of the following ports: Pensacola, Panama City, or Port St. Joe; one member from any of the following ports: Tampa Bay, Boca Grande, Punta Gorda, Charlotte Harbor, or Key West; one member from any of the following ports: Fernandina, Jacksonville, or Port Canaveral; and one member from any of the following ports: Ft. Pierce, Miami, Port Everglades, or Palm Beach.
