The Florida Senate

154.209  Powers of authority.--The purpose of the authority shall be to assist health facilities in the acquisition, construction, financing, and refinancing of projects in any corporated or unincorporated area within the geographical limits of the local agency. For this purpose, the authority is authorized and empowered:

(1)  To adopt an official seal and alter the same at pleasure.

(2)  To maintain an office at such place or places in the local agency as it may designate.

(3)  To sue and be sued in its own name and to plead and be impleaded.

(4)  To acquire by purchase, lease, gift, or otherwise, or to obtain options for the acquisition of, any property, real or personal, improved or unimproved, for the acquisition, construction, operation, or maintenance of any project.

(5)  To construct, acquire, own, lease, repair, maintain, extend, expand, improve, rehabilitate, renovate, furnish, and equip projects and to pay all or any part of the costs thereof from the proceeds of bonds of the authority or from any contribution, gift, or donation or other funds made available to the authority for such purpose.

(6)  To make and execute agreements of lease, contracts, deeds, mortgages, notes, and other instruments necessary or convenient in the exercise of its powers and functions under this part.

(7)  To sell, lease, exchange, mortgage, transfer, or otherwise dispose of, or to grant options for any such purposes with respect to any project, any real or personal property or interest therein.

(8)  To pledge or assign any money, rents, charges, fees, or other revenues and any proceeds derived from sales of property, insurance, or condemnation awards.

(9)  To fix, charge, and collect rents, fees, and charges for the use of any project.

(10)  To issue bonds for the purpose of providing funds to pay all or any part of the cost of any project and to issue refunding bonds.

(11)  To employ consulting engineers, architects, surveyors, attorneys, accountants, financial experts, and such other employees and agents as may be necessary in its judgment and to fix their compensation.

(12)  To acquire existing projects and to reimburse any health facility for the cost of such project in accordance with an agreement between the authority and the health facility. However, no such reimbursement shall exceed the total cost of the project as determined by the health facility and approved by the authority.

(13)  To acquire existing projects and to refund outstanding obligations, mortgages, or advances issued, made, or given by a health facility for the cost of such project.

(14)  To charge to, and equitably apportion among, health facilities its administrative costs and expenses incurred in the exercise of the powers and duties conferred by this part; and, if approved by a resolution of the health facilities authority, to donate any surplus funds that remain in its account at the end of the fiscal year after those costs and expenses are paid, which funds may include fees or accrued interest, to the governing body of the local agency that created the health facilities authority. The governing body must appropriate and disburse those funds to nonprofit human health service agencies.

(15)  To mortgage any project and the site thereof for the benefit of the holders of the bonds issued to finance such project.

(16)  To participate in and to issue bonds for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a self-insurance pool pursuant to s. 627.357 on behalf of a health facility or a group of health facilities in order to provide for the payment of judgments, settlements of claims, expenses, or loss and damage that arises or is claimed to have arisen from an act or omission of the health facility, its employees, or agents in the performance of health care or health-care-related functions.

(17)  To issue special obligation revenue bonds for the purpose of establishing and maintaining the self-insurance pool and to provide reserve funds in connection therewith, such bonds to be payable from funds available in the pool from time to time or from assessments against participating health facilities for the purpose of providing required contributions to the fund. With respect to the issuance of such bonds or notes the following provisions shall apply:

(a)  The bonds may be issued as serial bonds or as term bonds, or the authority in its discretion may issue bonds of both types.

(b)  The bonds shall be authorized by resolution of the members of the authority as requested by the board of directors of the self-insurance pool and shall bear such date or dates; mature at such time or times, not exceeding 10 years from their respective dates; bear interest at such rate or rates; be payable at such time or times; be in such denominations and form; and be executed in such manner and subject to such terms of redemption as the resolution or resolutions of the authority may provide.

(c)  No health facility shall at any time have more than one loan agreement outstanding for the purpose of obtaining bond proceeds with which to acquire liability coverage contracts from the self-insurance pool.

(d)  Any self-insurance pool funded pursuant to this section shall maintain excess insurance which provides specific and aggregate limits and a retention level determined in accordance with sound actuarial principles. The Department of Insurance may waive this requirement if the fund demonstrates that its operation is and will be actuarially sound without obtaining excess insurance.

(e)  Prior to the issuance of any bonds pursuant to this section for the purpose of acquiring liability coverage contracts from the self-insurance pool, the Department of Insurance shall certify that excess liability coverage for the health facility is reasonably unobtainable in the amounts provided by such pool or that the liability coverage obtained through acquiring contracts from the self-insurance pool, after taking into account costs of issuance of bonds and any other administrative fees, is less expensive to the health facility than similar commercial coverage then reasonably available.

(18)  To participate in and issue bonds and other forms of indebtedness for the purpose of establishing and maintaining an accounts receivable program on behalf of a health facility or group of health facilities. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this part, the structuring and financing of an accounts receivable program pursuant to this subsection shall constitute a project and may be structured for the benefit of health facilities within or outside the geographical limits of the local agency. An accounts receivable program may include the financing of accounts receivable acquired by a health facility from other not-for-profit health care corporations, whether or not controlled by or affiliated with the health facility and regardless of location within or outside the geographical limits of this state.

(19)  To do all things necessary to carry out the purposes of this part.

History.--s. 5, ch. 74-323; s. 1, ch. 77-174; s. 5, ch. 87-237; s. 1, ch. 90-348; s. 82, ch. 91-45; s. 1, ch. 94-231; s. 1, ch. 98-273; s. 1, ch. 99-387.