Florida Senate - 2016 CS for SB 516
By the Committee on Community Affairs; and Senators Ring and
Gaetz
578-01296-16 2016516c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to special districts; amending s.
3 189.016, F.S.; requiring each special district to
4 operate an official website; requiring each special
5 district’s official website to include specified
6 budget information; conforming provisions to changes
7 made by this act; creating s. 189.0695, F.S.;
8 requiring certain independent special districts to be
9 subject to ch. 120, F.S.; amending s. 120.52, F.S.;
10 redefining the term “agency”; providing an effective
11 date.
12
13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
14
15 Section 1. Subsections (4) and (7) of section 189.016,
16 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
17 189.016 Reports; budgets; audits.—
18 (4)(a) The tentative budget must be posted on the special
19 district’s official website at least 2 days before the budget
20 hearing, held pursuant to s. 200.065 or other law, to consider
21 such budget. The final adopted budget must be posted on the
22 special district’s official website within 30 days after
23 adoption. If the special district does not operate an official
24 website, the special district must, within a reasonable period
25 of time as established by the local general-purpose government
26 or governments in which the special district is located or the
27 local governing authority to which the district is dependent,
28 transmit the tentative budget or final budget to the manager or
29 administrator of the local general-purpose government or the
30 local governing authority. The manager or administrator shall
31 post the tentative budget or final budget on the website of the
32 local general-purpose government or governing authority. This
33 subsection and subsection (3) do not apply to water management
34 districts as defined in s. 373.019.
35 (b) Each special district shall publish an online version
36 of its budget information on its official website which allows
37 the public to:
38 1. View multiple years of budget, general ledger, and
39 checking account data;
40 2. Review year-over-year spending trends, examine
41 individual accounting entries, and filter data according to
42 categories in the special district’s chart of accounts,
43 including, but not limited to, fund, department, division,
44 program, or activity;
45 3. Download financial data and graphs;
46 4. View data in different graphical formats, including, but
47 not limited to, stacked line, trend line, bar graph, and pie
48 chart;
49 5. View data in tabular formats;
50 6. View information for multiple special district
51 departments, divisions, funds, or financial categories
52 simultaneously; and
53 7. View and compare revenue and expense trends
54 simultaneously on the same graph for any level of financial
55 data.
56 (7) If the governing body of a special district amends the
57 budget pursuant to paragraph (6)(c), the adopted amendment must
58 be posted on the official website of the special district within
59 5 days after adoption. If the special district does not operate
60 an official website, the special district must, within a
61 reasonable period of time as established by the local general
62 purpose government or governments in which the special district
63 is located or the local governing authority to which the
64 district is dependent, transmit the adopted amendment to the
65 manager or administrator of the local general-purpose government
66 or governing authority. The manager or administrator shall post
67 the adopted amendment on the website of the local general
68 purpose government or governing authority.
69 Section 2. Section 189.0695, Florida Statutes, is created
70 to read:
71 189.0695 Special districts regulating transit or
72 transportation services; procedures.—An independent special
73 district that regulates transit or transportation services is
74 subject to the Administrative Procedure Act, chapter 120.
75 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
76 120.52, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
77 120.52 Definitions.—As used in this act:
78 (1) “Agency” means the following officers or governmental
79 entities if acting pursuant to powers other than those derived
80 from the constitution:
81 (a) The Governor; each state officer and state department,
82 and each departmental unit described in s. 20.04; the Board of
83 Governors of the State University System; the Commission on
84 Ethics; the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; a
85 regional water supply authority; a regional planning agency; a
86 multicounty special district, but only if a majority of its
87 governing board is comprised of nonelected persons; an
88 independent special district that regulates transit or
89 transportation services; educational units; and each entity
90 described in chapters 163, 373, 380, and 582 and s. 186.504.
91
92 This definition does not include a municipality or legal entity
93 created solely by a municipality; a legal entity or agency
94 created in whole or in part pursuant to part II of chapter 361;
95 a metropolitan planning organization created pursuant to s.
96 339.175; a separate legal or administrative entity created
97 pursuant to s. 339.175 of which a metropolitan planning
98 organization is a member; an expressway authority pursuant to
99 chapter 348 or any transportation authority or commission under
100 chapter 343 or chapter 349; or a legal or administrative entity
101 created by an interlocal agreement pursuant to s. 163.01(7),
102 unless any party to such agreement is otherwise an agency as
103 defined in this subsection.
104 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.