| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to firefighting; amending s. 40.013, F.S.; |
| 3 | excusing certain firefighters from jury duty service; |
| 4 | amending s. 191.008, F.S.; authorizing the governing board |
| 5 | of a fire control district to recover court costs and |
| 6 | attorney's fees in certain civil actions; amending s. |
| 7 | 191.011, F.S.; authorizing a fire control district to |
| 8 | exempt property owned or operated by religious |
| 9 | institutions from non-ad valorem assessments; providing a |
| 10 | definition; creating s. 191.016, F.S.; revising the |
| 11 | application of a provision relating to municipal |
| 12 | annexation within independent special districts; revising |
| 13 | criteria used in determining the defined boundaries of a |
| 14 | special fire control district for certain purposes; |
| 15 | requiring certain annexing municipalities to make payments |
| 16 | to special fire control districts; requiring special fire |
| 17 | control districts to provide certain services to annexed |
| 18 | properties; providing an effective date. |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section |
| 23 | 40.013, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 24 | 40.013 Persons disqualified or excused from jury |
| 25 | service.-- |
| 26 | (2) |
| 27 | (b) Any full-time federal, state, or local law enforcement |
| 28 | officer or such entities' investigative personnel or any full- |
| 29 | time firefighter, as defined in s. 112.81, shall be excused from |
| 30 | jury service unless such persons choose to serve. |
| 31 | Section 2. Subsections (5), (6), and (7) of section |
| 32 | 191.008, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (6), |
| 33 | (7), and (8), respectively, and a new subsection (5) is added to |
| 34 | that section, to read: |
| 35 | 191.008 Special powers.--Independent special fire control |
| 36 | districts shall provide for fire suppression and prevention by |
| 37 | establishing and maintaining fire stations and fire substations |
| 38 | and acquiring and maintaining such firefighting and fire |
| 39 | protection equipment deemed necessary to prevent or fight fires. |
| 40 | All construction shall be in compliance with applicable state, |
| 41 | regional, and local regulations, including adopted comprehensive |
| 42 | plans and land development regulations. The board shall have and |
| 43 | may exercise any or all of the following special powers relating |
| 44 | to facilities and duties authorized by this act: |
| 45 | (5) Recover reasonable court costs, including attorney's |
| 46 | fees, from the nonprevailing party in any civil action to |
| 47 | enforce the provisions of chapter 553 or chapter 633 and this |
| 48 | section concerning fire suppression and prevention and the |
| 49 | enforcement of the firesafety code. |
| 50 | Section 3. Subsection (12) is added to section 191.011, |
| 51 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 52 | 191.011 Procedures for the levy and collection of non-ad |
| 53 | valorem assessments.-- |
| 54 | (12) Property owned or operated by a religious institution |
| 55 | and used primarily as a place of worship shall be exempt from |
| 56 | any non-ad valorem assessments levied pursuant to this act if |
| 57 | the governing board of the district desires to exempt all |
| 58 | religious institutions in the district from such assessments. |
| 59 | The term "religious institution" means any church, synagogue, or |
| 60 | other established physical place for worship at which nonprofit |
| 61 | religious services and activities are regularly conducted and |
| 62 | carried on. |
| 63 | Section 4. Section 191.016, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 64 | to read: |
| 65 | 191.016 Annexations within fire control district.-- |
| 66 | (1) Section 171.093 applies to annexations pursuant to |
| 67 | part I of chapter 171 within the boundaries of a district, |
| 68 | unless the district's charter provides that the district remains |
| 69 | the service provider following an annexation within its |
| 70 | boundaries or prohibits annexations within its boundaries. |
| 71 | (2) For purposes of determining the defined boundaries of |
| 72 | a district pursuant to s. 175.101(1), the boundaries shall be |
| 73 | deemed to include annexed areas until the end of the 4-year |
| 74 | period provided for in s. 171.093(4) or other agreed-upon |
| 75 | extension or the termination of an interlocal agreement executed |
| 76 | pursuant to s. 171.093(3). |
| 77 | (3) An annexing municipality shall make payments to the |
| 78 | district as required under s. 171.093(4)(a) by March 31 of each |
| 79 | year of the 4-year period provided for in that section or in an |
| 80 | agreed-upon extension. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the |
| 81 | annexing municipality shall not be required to pay the district |
| 82 | moneys that have not been paid on a specific parcel until such |
| 83 | time as the moneys have been received by the annexing |
| 84 | municipality, and, within 30 days after receipt, the annexing |
| 85 | municipality shall make payment of such moneys to the district. |
| 86 | (4) During the term of the district's provision of fire |
| 87 | protection services to annexed properties pursuant to s. |
| 88 | 171.093(4), the district shall continue to provide all services |
| 89 | relating to the provision of fire protection, including, but not |
| 90 | limited to, the applicability of the fire control district's |
| 91 | regulations and inspections. |
| 92 | Section 5. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |