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The Florida Senate

2024 Florida Statutes

Title XVI TEACHERS' RETIREMENT SYSTEM; HIGHER EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES BONDS
Chapter 243 HIGHER EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES BONDS Entire Chapter
SECTION 61
Revenue bonds.
F.S. 243.61
243.61 Revenue bonds.—
(1) The authority may issue its negotiable revenue bonds for any corporate purpose, including the provision of funds to pay all or any part of the cost of any project. In anticipation of the sale of revenue bonds, the authority may issue negotiable bond anticipation notes and may renew them from time to time, but the maximum maturity of any note, including renewals thereof, may not exceed 5 years following the date of issue of the original note. The notes must be paid from any revenues of the authority available therefor or of the project and not otherwise pledged, or from the proceeds of sale of the revenue bonds of the authority in anticipation of which they were issued. The notes must be issued in the same manner as the revenue bonds. The notes and the resolution authorizing them may contain any provisions, conditions, or limitations that a bond resolution of the authority may contain.
(2) The revenue bonds and notes of every issue must be payable solely out of revenues of the authority, including the provision of funds of the participating institution to pay all or any part of the cost of any project, subject only to any agreements with the holders of particular revenue bonds or notes pledging any particular revenues. Notwithstanding that revenue bonds and notes may be payable from a special fund, they are for all purposes negotiable instruments, subject only to the provisions of the revenue bonds and notes for registration.
(3) The revenue bonds may be issued as serial bonds or as term bonds, or the authority may issue bonds of both types. The revenue bonds must be authorized by resolution of the authority; must bear the date of issuance, the date of maturity, not exceeding 30 years from issuance, and the interest rate of the bonds, which may be a variable rate; must be payable at a specified time; must be in specified denominations; and must be in specified form, carry registration privileges, be executed in a specified manner, be payable in lawful money of the United States at a specified place, and be subject to the terms of redemption, as the resolution provides. Pending preparation of the definitive bonds, the authority may issue interim receipts or certificates that may be exchanged for the definitive bonds. In case any officer whose signature, or a facsimile of whose signature, appears on any bonds or coupons ceases to be that officer before the delivery of the bonds, the signature or facsimile is nevertheless valid and sufficient for all purposes as if he or she had remained in office until delivery. The authority may also provide for the authentication of the bonds by a trustee or fiscal agent. The bonds may be issued in coupon form or in registered form, or both, as the authority determines. Provision may be made for the registration of any coupon bonds as to principal alone and also as to both principal and interest; for the reconversion into coupon bonds of any bonds registered as to both principal and interest; and for the interchange of registered and coupon bonds.
(4)(a) The authority may sell such bonds at such price or prices as it may determine to be in the best interest of the state or of the participating institution on behalf of which such bonds are issued, but no such sale shall be made at an average net interest cost rate in excess of the interest rate limitation set forth in s. 215.84(3) provided, however, that such bonds may be sold at a reasonable discount to par not to exceed 3 percent. This limitation on discount does not apply to the portion of the discount that constitutes original issue discount.
(b) All of such bonds shall be sold at public sale at such place or places within the state as the authority shall determine to receive proposals for the purchase of such bonds. Notice of such sale shall be published at least once at least 10 days prior to the date of sale in one or more newspapers or financial journals published within or without the state and shall contain such terms as the authority shall deem advisable and proper under the circumstances, provided that if no bids are received at the time and place called for by such notice of sale, or if all bids received are rejected, such bonds may again be offered for public sale by competitive bid or negotiated sale, as provided herein, upon a shorter period of reasonable notice provided for by resolution of the authority. However, unless the public sale by competitive bid of such bonds is required by law, the authority may, by resolution adopted at a public meeting, determine that a negotiated sale of such bonds is in the best interest of the authority, and may negotiate for sale of such bonds to any underwriter designated by the authority.
1. In the resolution authorizing the negotiated sale, the authority shall provide specific findings as to the reasons requiring the negotiated sale.
2. A resolution authorizing a negotiated bond sale may be the same resolution as that authorizing the issuance of such bonds.
(c) All proposals for the purchase of any bonds offered for sale by the authority shall be opened in public. When competitively bid, bonds shall be awarded to the lowest bidder by the official of the authority as provided in the resolution authorizing the issuance of the bonds. The basis of award of a competitive bid may be either the lowest net interest cost or the lowest true interest cost, as set forth in the resolution authorizing the issuance or sale of the bonds.
(5) Any resolution authorizing any revenue bonds may contain provisions, which are a part of the contract with the holders of the revenue bonds to be authorized, as to:
(a) Pledging of all or any part of the revenues of a project or any revenue-producing contract made by the authority with any individual, partnership, corporation, or association or other body, public or private, to secure the payment of the revenue bonds or of any particular issue of revenue bonds, subject to any agreements with bondholders as may then exist.
(b) The rentals, fees, and other charges to be charged, and the amounts to be raised in each year thereby, and the use and disposition of the revenues.
(c) The setting aside of reserves or sinking funds and the regulation and disposition thereof.
(d) Limitations on the right of the authority or its agent to restrict and regulate the use of the project.
(e) Limitations on the purpose to which the proceeds of sale of any issue of revenue bonds then or thereafter to be issued may be applied and the pledging of the proceeds to secure the payment of the revenue bonds or any issue of the revenue bonds.
(f) Limitations on the issuance of additional bonds, the terms upon which additional bonds may be issued and secured, and the refunding of outstanding bonds.
(g) The procedure, if any, by which the terms of any contract with bondholders may be amended or abrogated, including the amount of bonds the holders of which must consent thereto and the manner in which consent may be given.
(h) Limitations on the amount of moneys derived from the project to be expended for operating, administrative, or other expenses of the authority.
(i) The acts or omissions to act that constitute a default in the duties of the authority to holders of its obligations and provisions for the rights and remedies of the holders in the event of a default.
(j) The mortgaging of or granting of a security interest in the project or the site thereof for the purpose of securing the bondholders.
(6) Neither the members of the authority nor any person executing the revenue bonds or notes is liable personally on the revenue bonds or notes or is subject to any personal liability or accountability by reason of the issuance thereof.
(7) The authority may purchase its bonds or notes out of any funds available therefor. The authority may hold, pledge, cancel, or resell the bonds, subject to and in accordance with agreements with bondholders.
(8) Incident to its powers to issue bonds and notes, the authority may enter into interest rate swap agreements, collars, caps, forward securities purchase agreements, delayed delivery bond purchase agreements, and any other financial agreements considered to be in the best interest of the authority.
History.—s. 12, ch. 2001-79.