House Bill 3411

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3411

        By Representative Lacasa






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Community Redevelopment

  3         Act of 1969; amending s. 163.340, F.S.;

  4         defining "private capital investment project,"

  5         "investor," and "business venture"; amending s.

  6         163.345, F.S.; expanding provisions which

  7         direct counties and municipalities to involve

  8         private enterprise in redevelopment; creating

  9         s. 163.3555, F.S.; providing special

10         requirements applicable to a community

11         redevelopment area which utilizes sales tax

12         increment funding; amending s. 163.360, F.S.;

13         revising a determination relating to housing

14         that must be made before certain land in a

15         community redevelopment area is acquired;

16         amending s. 163.362, F.S.; revising

17         requirements for community redevelopment plans

18         relating to publicly funded capital projects

19         and relocation of displaced persons; providing

20         requirements for plans which include a private

21         capital investment project; requiring certain

22         agreements and performance guarantees; amending

23         s. 163.370, F.S.; revising restrictions imposed

24         on financing certain public buildings with

25         increment revenues; amending s. 163.387, F.S.;

26         removing a provision that allows certain

27         counties to adopt a special formula for funding

28         their redevelopment trust funds; authorizing

29         funding of a redevelopment trust fund by the

30         increment in sales and use taxes collected

31         within certain community redevelopment areas;

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  1         providing for determination of such increment;

  2         providing administrative duties of local

  3         governing bodies and the Department of Revenue;

  4         amending s. 212.20, F.S., to conform; amending

  5         s. 213.053, F.S.; authorizing the Department of

  6         Revenue to share certain information with local

  7         governing bodies; providing for rules;

  8         providing an effective date.

  9

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

11

12         Section 1.  Subsections (23), (24), and (25) are added

13  to section 163.340, Florida Statutes, to read:

14         163.340  Definitions.--The following terms, wherever

15  used or referred to in this part, have the following meanings:

16         (23)  "Private capital investment project" means a

17  commercial or residential redevelopment project within a

18  community redevelopment area under which a private investor

19  contracts with the governing body to construct improvements

20  within the community redevelopment area with private capital,

21  and the governing body contracts to build concurrently the

22  infrastructure and other capital improvements to facilitate

23  the success of the private capital investment project.

24         (24)  "Investor" means any person or business

25  association that intends to invest in privately funded capital

26  improvements or a business venture within a community

27  redevelopment area.

28         (25)  "Business venture" means any privately

29  capitalized investment in housing or commercial or

30  recreational facilities within a community redevelopment area.

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  1         Section 2.  Subsection (1) of section 163.345, Florida

  2  Statutes, is amended to read:

  3         163.345  Encouragement of private enterprise.--

  4         (1)  Any county or municipality, to the greatest extent

  5  it determines to be feasible in carrying out the provisions of

  6  this part, shall afford maximum opportunity, consistent with

  7  the sound needs of the county or municipality as a whole, to

  8  the rehabilitation or redevelopment of the community

  9  redevelopment area by private enterprise. Any county or

10  municipality shall give consideration to this objective in

11  exercising its powers under this part, including the

12  formulation of a workable program; the approval of community

13  redevelopment plans, communitywide plans or programs for

14  community redevelopment, and general neighborhood

15  redevelopment plans (consistent with the general plan of the

16  county or municipality); the exercise of its zoning powers;

17  the enforcement of other laws, codes, and regulations relating

18  to the use of land and the use and occupancy of buildings and

19  improvements; the development of affordable housing; the

20  disposition of any property acquired; the execution of private

21  capital investment projects; the encouragement of private

22  enterprise to invest in the redevelopment or rehabilitation

23  process through financial incentives; and the provision of

24  necessary public improvements.

25         Section 3.  Section 163.3555, Florida Statutes, is

26  created to read:

27         163.3555  Special requirements for community

28  redevelopment areas utilizing sales tax increment funding.--

29         (1)  No community redevelopment agency shall utilize

30  sales tax increment funding for its redevelopment trust fund

31  pursuant to s. 163.387(1)(c) until the governing body has

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  1  adopted a resolution finding that the community redevelopment

  2  area suffers from pervasive poverty, unemployment, and general

  3  distress.  The governing body shall use data from the most

  4  current decennial census, and from information published by

  5  the Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  6  The data shall be comparable in point or period of time and

  7  methodology employed.

  8         (2)  Pervasive poverty shall be evidenced by a showing

  9  that poverty is widespread throughout the area. The poverty

10  rate of the area shall be established using the following

11  criteria:

12         (a)  In each census geographic block group within an

13  area, the poverty rate shall be not less than 20 percent.

14         (b)  In at least 50 percent of the census geographic

15  block groups within the area, the poverty rate shall be not

16  less than 30 percent.

17         (c)  Census geographic block groups with no population

18  shall be treated as having a poverty rate which meets the

19  standards of paragraph (a), but shall be treated as having a

20  zero poverty rate for purposes of applying paragraph (b).

21         (d)  An area may not contain a noncontiguous parcel

22  unless such parcel separately meets the criteria set forth

23  under paragraphs (a) and (b).

24         (3)  Unemployment shall be evidenced by data indicating

25  that the average rate of unemployment for the area is not less

26  than the state's average of unemployment, or by evidence of

27  especially severe economic conditions which have brought about

28  significant job dislocation within the area.

29         (4)  General distress shall be evidenced by describing

30  adverse conditions within the area other than those of

31  pervasive poverty and unemployment. A high incidence of crime,

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  1  abandoned structures, and deteriorated infrastructure or

  2  substantial population decline are examples of appropriate

  3  indicators of general distress.

  4         (5)  In making the calculations required by this

  5  section, the governing body shall round all fractional

  6  percentages of one-half percent or more up to the next highest

  7  whole percentage figure.

  8         Section 4.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section

  9  163.360, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

10         163.360  Community redevelopment plans.--

11         (7)  If the community redevelopment area consists of an

12  area of open land to be acquired by the county or the

13  municipality, such area may not be so acquired unless:

14         (a)  In the event the area is to be developed in whole

15  or in part for residential uses, the governing body

16  determines:

17         1.  That a shortage of housing of sound standards and

18  design which is decent, safe, affordable to residents of low

19  or moderate income, including the elderly, and sanitary exists

20  in the county or municipality;

21         2.  or that the need for housing accommodations has

22  increased in the area;

23         2.3.  That the conditions of blight in the area or the

24  shortage of decent, safe, affordable, and sanitary housing

25  cause or contribute to an increase in and spread of disease

26  and crime or constitute a menace to the public health, safety,

27  morals, or welfare; and

28         3.4.  That the acquisition of the area for residential

29  uses is an integral part of and is essential to the program of

30  the county or municipality.

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  1         Section 5.  Subsections (4) and (7) of section 163.362,

  2  Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsection (12) is added to

  3  said section, to read:

  4         163.362  Contents of community redevelopment

  5  plan.--Every community redevelopment plan shall:

  6         (4)  Identify specifically any publicly funded capital

  7  projects to be undertaken within the community redevelopment

  8  area.  Subject to the provisions of s. 163.370(2), such

  9  publicly funded capital improvements may include police

10  stations or substations, fire-rescue stations, roads and

11  walkways, street lighting, off-street parking, parks, and

12  entertainment and recreational facilities.

13         (7)  Provide assistance assurances that there will be

14  replacement housing for the relocation of persons temporarily

15  or permanently displaced from housing facilities within the

16  community redevelopment area.  This subsection does not

17  require the governing authority to provide replacement housing

18  as a condition of implementing the community redevelopment

19  plan.

20         (12)  Provide that implementation of any private

21  capital investment project incorporated into the plan which

22  utilizes indebtedness to be repaid with increment revenues

23  pursuant to s. 163.387 shall be conditioned upon the execution

24  of a binding agreement between the governing body and an

25  investor or investors.  The governing body shall require an

26  investor to provide a performance bond or any other

27  commercially feasible and equally enforceable performance

28  guarantee prior to encumbering the redevelopment trust fund

29  for capital improvements or any other financial incentives

30  related to the private capital investment project.

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  1         Section 6.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section

  2  163.370, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

  3         163.370  Powers; counties and municipalities; community

  4  redevelopment agencies.--

  5         (2)  The following projects may not be paid for or

  6  financed by increment revenues:

  7         (a)  Construction or expansion of administrative

  8  buildings for public bodies or police and fire buildings,

  9  unless the each taxing authority which would have jurisdiction

10  of the building agrees to such method of financing for the

11  construction or expansion.

12         Section 7.  Subsection (1), paragraph (a) of subsection

13  (2), and subsection (7) of section 163.387, Florida Statutes,

14  are amended to read:

15         163.387  Redevelopment trust fund.--

16         (1)(a)  There shall be established for each community

17  redevelopment agency created under s. 163.356 a redevelopment

18  trust fund. Funds allocated to and deposited into this fund

19  shall be used by the agency to finance or refinance any

20  community redevelopment it undertakes pursuant to the approved

21  community redevelopment plan. No community redevelopment

22  agency may receive or spend any increment revenues pursuant to

23  this section unless and until the governing body has, by

24  ordinance, provided for the funding of the redevelopment trust

25  fund for the duration of a community redevelopment plan. Such

26  ordinance may be adopted only after the governing body has

27  approved a community redevelopment plan.

28         (b)  The annual funding of the redevelopment trust fund

29  shall be in an amount not less than that increment in the

30  income, proceeds, revenues, and funds of each taxing authority

31  derived from or held in connection with the undertaking and

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  1  carrying out of community redevelopment under this part. Such

  2  increment shall be determined annually and shall be that

  3  amount equal to 95 percent of the difference between:

  4         1.(a)  The amount of ad valorem taxes levied each year

  5  by each taxing authority, exclusive of any amount from any

  6  debt service millage, on taxable real property contained

  7  within the geographic boundaries of a community redevelopment

  8  area; and

  9         2.(b)  The amount of ad valorem taxes which would have

10  been produced by the rate upon which the tax is levied each

11  year by or for each taxing authority, exclusive of any debt

12  service millage, upon the total of the assessed value of the

13  taxable real property in the community redevelopment area as

14  shown upon the most recent assessment roll used in connection

15  with the taxation of such property by each taxing authority

16  prior to the effective date of the ordinance providing for the

17  funding of the trust fund.

18

19  However, the governing body of any county as defined in s.

20  125.011(1) may, in the ordinance providing for the funding of

21  a trust fund established with respect to any community

22  redevelopment area created on or after July 1, 1994, determine

23  that the amount to be funded by each taxing authority annually

24  shall be less than 95 percent of the difference between

25  paragraphs (a) and (b), but in no event shall such amount be

26  less than 50 percent of such difference.

27         (c)1.  In addition to the funding of the redevelopment

28  trust fund provided for under paragraph (b), the ordinance

29  which provides for funding of the fund may provide for annual

30  deposit of the sales tax increment within the community

31  redevelopment area in the fund if the area meets the

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  1  requirements of s. 163.3555.  An ordinance which was adopted

  2  without provision for sales tax increment funding may be

  3  amended to include such provision.  The sales tax increment

  4  shall be determined annually, and shall be the difference

  5  between:

  6         a.  The aggregate amount of state sales and use taxes

  7  remitted by dealers under chapter 212 at places of business

  8  located within the geographic boundaries of the community

  9  redevelopment area during the state fiscal year for which the

10  increment is being determined; and

11         b.(I)  In the case of an ordinance which contains

12  provision for sales tax increment funding when it is adopted,

13  the amount of taxes so remitted in the state fiscal year

14  immediately preceding the adoption of the ordinance; or

15         (II)  In the case of an ordinance which is amended to

16  provide for sales tax increment funding, the amount of taxes

17  remitted as described in sub-subparagraph a. for the initial

18  state fiscal year of implementation of such funding, minus 4

19  percent for each year the ordinance was in effect prior to

20  such amendment, up to a maximum of 12 percent.

21         2.  The governing body shall notify the Department of

22  Revenue within 10 calendar days after the adoption or

23  amendment of an ordinance that provides for sales tax

24  increment funding, and shall include a copy of the resolution

25  adopted pursuant to s. 163.3555.

26         3.  For the purposes of determining the amount of sales

27  tax increment funding to be transferred to each community

28  redevelopment trust fund funded pursuant to this paragraph,

29  the Department of Revenue and each governing body that adopts

30  or amends such an ordinance shall exchange tax administration

31  information on an annual basis, in the format prescribed by

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  1  the Department of Revenue.  Each governing body with such an

  2  ordinance, and the Department of Revenue, are responsible for

  3  transmitting this shared data no later than September 1 of

  4  each year.  Such information shall include the taxpayer's

  5  sales tax registration number and business location and such

  6  other tax registration information as the Department of

  7  Revenue prescribes.  Through this exchange of information,

  8  each applicable governing body is responsible for identifying

  9  those businesses within the geographic boundaries of the

10  community redevelopment area.  To the fullest extent

11  practicable, the information shall be shared in a

12  computer-processable medium.  For the initial calculation,

13  each governing body and the Department of Revenue shall

14  exchange all information enumerated in this subparagraph no

15  later than the first day of the fourth month after the

16  adoption or amendment of the ordinance.

17         4.  Based upon the information provided by the

18  governing body pursuant to subparagraphs 2. and 3., the

19  Department of Revenue shall calculate the sales tax increment

20  for that community redevelopment area each state fiscal year

21  and transfer that amount to a separate account within the

22  redevelopment trust fund.

23         (2)(a)  Except for the purpose of funding the trust

24  fund pursuant to subsection (3), upon the adoption of an

25  ordinance providing for funding of the redevelopment trust

26  fund as provided in this section, each taxing authority shall,

27  by January 1 of each year, appropriate to the trust fund for

28  so long as any indebtedness pledging increment revenues to the

29  payment thereof is outstanding (but not to exceed 30 years) a

30  sum that is no less than the increment as defined and

31  determined in paragraph (1)(b) subsection (1) accruing to such

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  1  taxing authority.  If the community redevelopment plan is

  2  amended or modified pursuant to s. 163.361(1), each such

  3  taxing authority shall make the annual appropriation for a

  4  period not to exceed 30 years after the date the governing

  5  body amends the plan.

  6         (7)  On the last day of the fiscal year of the

  7  community redevelopment agency, any money which remains in the

  8  trust fund after the payment of expenses pursuant to

  9  subsection (6) for such year, except for money remaining in

10  the sales tax increment account, shall be:

11         (a)  Returned to each taxing authority which paid the

12  increment described in paragraph (1)(b) in the proportion that

13  the amount of the payment of such taxing authority bears to

14  the total amount paid into the trust fund by all taxing

15  authorities within the redevelopment area for that year;

16         (b)  Used to reduce the amount of any indebtedness to

17  which increment revenues are pledged;

18         (c)  Deposited into an escrow account for the purpose

19  of later reducing any indebtedness to which increment revenues

20  are pledged; or

21         (d)  Appropriated to a specific redevelopment project

22  pursuant to an approved community redevelopment plan which

23  project will be completed within 3 years from the date of such

24  appropriation.

25

26  Any money remaining in the sales tax increment account shall

27  be returned to the Department of Revenue for deposit in the

28  General Revenue Fund.

29         Section 8.  Paragraph (f) of subsection (6) of section

30  212.20, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph (g),

31  and a new paragraph (f) is added to said subsection to read:

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  1         212.20  Funds collected, disposition; additional powers

  2  of department; operational expense; refund of taxes

  3  adjudicated unconstitutionally collected.--

  4         (6)  Distribution of all proceeds under this chapter

  5  shall be as follows:

  6         (f)  That portion of the proceeds of taxes collected

  7  within a community redevelopment area and designated as the

  8  sales tax increment by ordinance adopted pursuant to s.

  9  163.387(1)(c) shall be reallocated to the sales tax increment

10  account within the community redevelopment trust fund for that

11  area.

12         Section 9.  Paragraph (o) is added to subsection (7) of

13  section 213.053, Florida Statutes, to read:

14         213.053  Confidentiality and information sharing.--

15         (7)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this

16  section, the department may provide:

17         (o)  Information authorized pursuant to s.

18  163.387(1)(c) to local governing bodies which have adopted

19  sales tax increment funding for community redevelopment areas.

20

21  Disclosure of information under this subsection shall be

22  pursuant to a written agreement between the executive director

23  and the agency.  Such agencies, governmental or

24  nongovernmental, shall be bound by the same requirements of

25  confidentiality as the Department of Revenue.  Breach of

26  confidentiality is a misdemeanor of the first degree,

27  punishable as provided by s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

28         Section 10.  The Department of Revenue is authorized to

29  promulgate rules necessary to effectuate the provisions of

30  this act.

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  1         Section 11.  This act shall take effect July 1 of the

  2  year in which enacted.

  3

  4            *****************************************

  5                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  6
      Revises provisions of the Community Redevelopment Act of
  7    1969 with respect to involvement of private enterprise in
      redevelopment projects.  Provides additional definitions
  8    and specifies requirements for community redevelopment
      plans that include a private capital investment project.
  9

10    Revises requirements for community redevelopment plans
      relating to publicly funded capital projects and
11    relocation of displaced persons.  Revises restrictions
      imposed on financing certain public buildings with
12    increment revenues.

13
      Removes a provision that allows Dade County to adopt a
14    special formula for funding its redevelopment trust fund.
      Authorizes funding of a redevelopment trust fund by the
15    increment in sales and use taxes collected within the
      community redevelopment area if the area is found to be
16    suffering from pervasive poverty, unemployment, and
      general distress.  Provides for determination of such
17    increment.

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