Florida Senate - 2013                                     SB 358
       
       
       
       By Senator Simmons
       
       
       
       
       10-00293A-13                                           2013358__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to professional sports franchises;
    3         amending s. 288.1162, F.S.; adding Major League Soccer
    4         to the meaning of the term “league”; providing that a
    5         previously certified applicant is not eligible for an
    6         additional certification under certain circumstances;
    7         requiring the Department of Economic Opportunity to
    8         reserve two new facility certifications for new Major
    9         League Soccer franchises; providing an effective date.
   10  
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Paragraphs (c) and (h) of subsection (4) and
   14  subsection (6) of section 288.1162, Florida Statutes, are
   15  amended to read:
   16         288.1162 Professional sports franchises; duties.—
   17         (4) Before certifying an applicant as a facility for a new
   18  or retained professional sports franchise, the department must
   19  determine that:
   20         (c) The applicant has a verified copy of the approval from
   21  the governing authority of the league in which the new
   22  professional sports franchise exists authorizing the location of
   23  the professional sports franchise in this state after April 1,
   24  1987, or in the case of a retained professional sports
   25  franchise, verified evidence that it has had a league-authorized
   26  location in this state on or before December 31, 1976. As used
   27  in this section, the term “league” means the National League or
   28  the American League of Major League Baseball, the National
   29  Basketball Association, the National Football League, Major
   30  League Soccer, or the National Hockey League.
   31         (h) An applicant previously certified under any provision
   32  of this section who has received funding under such
   33  certification is not eligible for an additional certification
   34  for a franchise or facility that has already served as the basis
   35  for a previous certification.
   36         (6) The department shall notify the Department of Revenue
   37  of any facility certified as a facility for a new or retained
   38  professional sports franchise. The department shall certify no
   39  more than 10 eight facilities as facilities for a new
   40  professional sports franchise or as facilities for a retained
   41  professional sports franchise, including in the total any
   42  facilities certified by the former Department of Commerce before
   43  July 1, 1996. The department shall reserve two facility
   44  certifications for new professional sports franchises in Major
   45  League Soccer. The department may make no more than one
   46  certification for any facility.
   47         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.