Senate Bill 1626

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.



    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1626

    By Senator Bronson





    18-1328-99                                              See HB

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the World Bowling Village

  3         facility; amending s. 212.20, F.S.; providing

  4         for distribution of a portion of revenues from

  5         the tax on sales, use, and other transactions

  6         to such facility; creating s. 288.1171, F.S.;

  7         providing for certification of such facility by

  8         the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

  9         Development of the Executive Office of the

10         Governor; providing requirements for

11         certification; providing for use of the funds

12         distributed to the facility; requiring

13         specified notice; providing a time limit for

14         opening the facility; specifying when

15         distribution of funds begins; providing for

16         audits by the Department of Revenue; providing

17         for periodic recertification; abating or

18         reducing funding under certain circumstances;

19         providing an effective date.

20

21         WHEREAS, the World Bowling Village would contain the

22  world headquarters of Bowling, Inc., a not-for-profit

23  consortium of major bowling organizations, which would create

24  new jobs for the State of Florida, and

25         WHEREAS, the World Bowling Village would receive

26  national and international media promotion and attention to

27  the extent of promoting the quality of life in Florida so as

28  to attract national and international tourists and

29  sports-related industry, and

30         WHEREAS, additional generated tourism has a positive

31  impact on both the taxes and economy of the state and

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1626
    18-1328-99                                              See HB




  1  additional economic development enhances employment

  2  opportunities for Florida citizens as well as expanding the

  3  tax base, and

  4         WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature has directed the

  5  Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development to guide,

  6  stimulate, and promote the sports industry in the state, and

  7         WHEREAS, the establishment of a World Bowling Village

  8  facility would, in addition to educational and job opportunity

  9  enhancement, accomplish the goals established for sports

10  promotion in the state, NOW, THEREFORE,

11

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

13

14         Section 1.  Paragraph (f) of subsection (6) of section

15  212.20, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read:

16         212.20  Funds collected, disposition; additional powers

17  of department; operational expense; refund of taxes

18  adjudicated unconstitutionally collected.--

19         (6)  Distribution of all proceeds under this chapter

20  shall be as follows:

21         (f)  The proceeds of all other taxes and fees imposed

22  pursuant to this chapter shall be distributed as follows:

23         1.  In any fiscal year, the greater of $500 million,

24  minus an amount equal to 4.6 percent of the proceeds of the

25  taxes collected pursuant to chapter 201, or 5 percent of all

26  other taxes and fees imposed pursuant to this chapter shall be

27  deposited in monthly installments into the General Revenue

28  Fund.

29         2.  Two-tenths of one percent shall be transferred to

30  the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund.

31

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1626
    18-1328-99                                              See HB




  1         3.  After the distribution under subparagraphs 1. and

  2  2., 9.653 percent of the amount remitted by a sales tax dealer

  3  located within a participating county pursuant to s. 218.61

  4  shall be transferred into the Local Government Half-cent Sales

  5  Tax Clearing Trust Fund.

  6         4.  After the distribution under subparagraphs 1., 2.,

  7  and 3., 0.054 percent shall be transferred to the Local

  8  Government Half-cent Sales Tax Clearing Trust Fund and

  9  distributed pursuant to s. 218.65.

10         5.  Of the remaining proceeds:

11         a.  Beginning July 1, 1992, $166,667 shall be

12  distributed monthly by the department to each applicant that

13  has been certified as a "facility for a new professional

14  sports franchise" or a "facility for a retained professional

15  sports franchise" pursuant to s. 288.1162 and $41,667 shall be

16  distributed monthly by the department to each applicant that

17  has been certified as a "new spring training franchise

18  facility" pursuant to s. 288.1162. Distributions shall begin

19  60 days following such certification and shall continue for 30

20  years. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to allow an

21  applicant certified pursuant to s. 288.1162 to receive more in

22  distributions than actually expended by the applicant for the

23  public purposes provided for in s. 288.1162(7). However, a

24  certified applicant shall receive distributions up to the

25  maximum amount allowable and undistributed under this section

26  for additional renovations and improvements to the facility

27  for the franchise without additional certification.

28         b.  Beginning 30 days after notice by the Office of

29  Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development to the Department of

30  Revenue that an applicant has been certified as the

31  professional golf hall of fame pursuant to s. 288.1168 and is

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1626
    18-1328-99                                              See HB




  1  open to the public, $166,667 shall be distributed monthly, for

  2  up to 300 months, to the applicant.

  3         c.  Beginning 30 days after notice by the Department of

  4  Commerce to the Department of Revenue that the applicant has

  5  been certified as the International Game Fish Association

  6  World Center facility pursuant to s. 288.1169, and the

  7  facility is open to the public, $83,333 shall be distributed

  8  monthly, for up to 180 months, to the applicant.  This

  9  distribution is subject to reduction pursuant to s. 288.1169.

10         d.  Beginning 30 days after notice by the Office of

11  Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development to the Department of

12  Revenue that the applicant has been certified as the World

13  Bowling Village facility pursuant to s. 288.1171, and the

14  facility is open to the public, $166,667 shall be distributed

15  monthly, for up to 240 months, to the applicant.  This

16  distribution is subject to reduction pursuant to s. 288.1171.

17         6.  All other proceeds shall remain with the General

18  Revenue Fund.

19         Section 2.  Section 288.1171, Florida Statutes, is

20  created to read:

21         288.1171  World Bowling Village facility; duties.--

22         (1)  The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

23  Development shall serve as the state agency for screening

24  applicants for state funding pursuant to s. 212.20 and for

25  certifying one applicant as the World Bowling Village facility

26  in the state.

27         (2)  Prior to certifying the World Bowling Village

28  facility, the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

29  Development must determine that:

30         (a)  The World Bowling Village facility is a bowling

31  complex consisting of bowling lanes, stadium seating, offices,

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1626
    18-1328-99                                              See HB




  1  a national training center, and a research and development

  2  center.

  3         (b)  The applicant is a unit of local government as

  4  defined in s. 218.369 or a private sector group that has

  5  contracted to construct or operate the World Bowling Village

  6  facility on land owned by a unit of local government.

  7         (c)  The municipality in which the World Bowling

  8  Village facility is located, or the county if the facility is

  9  located in an unincorporated area, has certified by resolution

10  after a public hearing that the application serves a public

11  purpose.

12         (d)  There is an independent analysis or study, using

13  methodology approved by the Office of Tourism, Trade, and

14  Economic Development, which demonstrates that the amount of

15  the revenues generated by the taxes imposed under chapter 212

16  with respect to the use and operation of the World Bowling

17  Village facility will equal or exceed $2 million annually.

18         (e)  Documentation exists that demonstrates that the

19  applicant has provided, is capable of providing, or has

20  financial or other commitments to provide more than one-half

21  of the costs incurred or related to the improvement and

22  development of the facility.

23         (f)  The application is signed by an official senior

24  executive of the applicant and is notarized according to

25  Florida law providing for penalties for falsification.

26         (3)  The applicant may use funds provided pursuant to

27  s. 212.20 for the public purpose of paying for the

28  construction, reconstruction, renovation, furnishings,

29  equipment, or operation of the World Bowling Village facility,

30  or to pay or pledge for payment of debt service on, or to fund

31  debt service reserve funds, arbitrage rebate obligations, or

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1626
    18-1328-99                                              See HB




  1  other amounts payable with respect to, bonds issued for the

  2  construction, reconstruction, build-out, or renovation of the

  3  facility or for the reimbursement of such costs or the

  4  refinancing of bonds issued for such purpose.

  5         (4)  Upon determining that an applicant is or is not

  6  certifiable, the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

  7  Development shall notify the applicant of his or her status by

  8  means of an official letter.  If certifiable, the Office of

  9  Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development shall notify the

10  executive director of the Department of Revenue and the

11  applicant of such certification by means of an official letter

12  granting certification.  From the date of such certification,

13  the applicant shall have 5 years to open the World Bowling

14  Village facility to the public and notify the Office of

15  Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development of such opening.  The

16  Department of Revenue shall not begin distributing funds until

17  30 days following notice by the Office of Tourism, Trade, and

18  Economic Development that the World Bowling Village facility

19  is open to the public.

20         (5)  The Department of Revenue may audit as provided in

21  s. 213.34 to verify that the distributions under this section

22  have been expended as required by this section.

23         (6)  The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

24  Development must recertify every 10 years that the facility is

25  open and is meeting the minimum projections for sales tax

26  revenues as required at the time of original certification.

27  If the facility is not certified as meeting the minimum

28  projections, then funding will be abated until certification

29  criteria are met.  If the project fails to generate $2 million

30  of annual revenues pursuant to paragraph (2)(d), the

31  distribution of revenues pursuant to s. 212.20(6)(f)5.d. shall

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1626
    18-1328-99                                              See HB




  1  be reduced to an amount equal to $166,667 multiplied by a

  2  fraction, the numerator of which is the actual revenues

  3  generated and the denominator of which is $2 million.  Such

  4  reduction shall remain in effect until revenues generated by

  5  the project in a 12-month period equal or exceed $2 million.

  6         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

  7

  8            *****************************************

  9                          HOUSE SUMMARY

10
      Creates the World Bowling Village facility, which would
11    contain the world headquarters of Bowling Inc., a
      nonprofit consortium of major bowling organizations.
12    Provides for distribution of a portion of revenues from
      the tax on sales, use, and other transactions to such
13    facility.  Provides for certification of the World
      Bowling Village facility by the Office of Tourism, Trade,
14    and Economic Development of the Executive Office of the
      Governor. Provides requirements for certification.
15    Provides for the use of funds distributed to the facility
      and specifies when distribution of such funds begins.
16    Requires specified notice.  Provides a time limit for the
      opening of the facility.  Provides for audits by the
17    Department of Revenue. Provides for periodic
      recertification.  Abates or reduces funding under certain
18    circumstances.

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