CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.House Bill 0919
Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 919
By Representative Byrd
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to economic development areas;
3 providing legislative findings and intent;
4 providing definitions; authorizing counties and
5 municipalities to create economic development
6 areas for certain purposes; providing criteria;
7 providing for review by local planning agencies
8 and the Department of Community Affairs;
9 authorizing county or municipal governing
10 bodies to provide consolidated, streamlined
11 approval processes, to invest in certain
12 infrastructure, and to waive certain
13 development costs under certain circumstances;
14 providing an effective date.
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16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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18 Section 1. (1) The Legislature finds that authorizing
19 local governments to create economic development areas would
20 encourage quality economic growth in areas where such growth
21 is acceptable to local government and residents of such areas.
22 The Legislature further finds that the location of targeted
23 industries within such approved economic development areas
24 serves a public purpose. It is the intent of the Legislature
25 to enable counties and municipalities to establish such
26 economic development areas for purposes of promoting such
27 quality economic growth.
28 (2) For purposes of this act, the term "targeted
29 industry" means:
30 (a) A company which provides at least 100 new
31 full-time equivalent employees for positions for which the
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1 Standard Industrial Classification Code is on the list of
2 targeted industries identified by Enterprise Florida, Inc;
3 (b) A company which adds at least 200 full-time
4 equivalent jobs within a 2-year period, provided each job pays
5 at least 100 percent of the average wage of jobs in the
6 county; or
7 (c) A company which adds at least 500 full-time
8 equivalent jobs within a 2-year period.
9 (3)(a) Any county or municipality in this state may
10 create, by ordinance, one or more economic development areas
11 within the boundaries of the county or municipality, subject
12 to approval by the appropriate local planning agency and the
13 Department of Community Affairs.
14 (b)1. An economic development area shall be located at
15 least partially within a transit corridor.
16 2. A county's economic development areas may be
17 located totally within the unincorporated areas of the county.
18 The total combined area for all economic development areas of
19 a county shall be no larger than 5 square miles.
20 3.a. For incorporated municipalities with a population
21 of 50,000 or more, according to the latest published
22 population estimate from the Bureau of Economic and Business
23 Research at the University of Florida, the total combined area
24 of economic development areas of such municipality may be up
25 to 50 acres or 1 percent of the area within the municipality's
26 boundaries, whichever is greater.
27 b. For incorporated municipalities with a population
28 of less than 50,000, according to the latest published
29 population estimate from the Bureau of Economic and Business
30 Research at the University of Florida, the total combined area
31 of economic development areas of such municipality may be up
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Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 919
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1 to 50 acres or 2 percent of the area within the municipality's
2 boundaries, whichever is greater.
3 (c) An ordinance proposing to create any economic
4 development area shall be presented at a public hearing for
5 comments and suggestions before being adopted by the governing
6 body of the county or municipality. After such ordinance is
7 adopted, the governing body shall submit a copy of the
8 ordinance, and any comments and suggestions relating to the
9 ordinance received at the public hearing, to the local
10 planning agency for review and comment. The local planning
11 agency shall have 30 days to review and comment on the
12 creation of the proposed economic development area. After
13 such review, the local planning agency shall transmit the
14 ordinance to the Department of Community Affairs, with a copy
15 of the results of the review and any comments by the local
16 planning agency and comments and suggestions received at the
17 public hearing, for review and final approval by the
18 department. The department shall have 45 days to review the
19 proposed economic development area and to approve or
20 disapprove the creation of such area.
21 (4) After approval by the department of the creation
22 of an economic development area, any company in a targeted
23 industry which wishes to expand or locate within the approved
24 economic development area shall be eligible for a
25 consolidated, streamlined approval process. The governing
26 body of the county or municipality creating an economic
27 development area may invest in any infrastructure required to
28 enable the company to expand or locate within the economic
29 development area. Such investments may include all costs
30 normally addressed by the approved capital improvements plan
31 of the county or municipality. The governing body of the
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Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 919
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1 county or municipality may also waive any other development
2 costs associated with such company's expansion or location
3 within the economic development area.
4 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
5 law.
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8 HOUSE SUMMARY
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Provides a mechanism for counties and municipalities to
10 create, by ordinance, economic development areas for
purposes of encouraging quality economic growth by
11 attracting companies in specified targeted industries.
See bill for details.
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