Senate Bill 1626c1

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1626

    By the Committee on Fiscal Resource and Senator Bronson





    314-2185A-99

  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 for the creation of new Florida jobs;

20         providing an effective date.

21

22         WHEREAS, the World Bowling Village would contain the

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

24  consortium of major bowling organizations, which would create

25  new jobs for the State of Florida, and

26         WHEREAS, the World Bowling Village would receive

27  national and international media promotion and attention to

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

29  to attract national and international tourists and

30  sports-related industry, and

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1626
    314-2185A-99




  1         WHEREAS, additional generated tourism has a positive

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

  3  additional economic development enhances employment

  4  opportunities for Florida citizens as well as expanding the

  5  tax base, and

  6         WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature has directed the

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

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

  9         WHEREAS, the establishment of a World Bowling Village

10  facility would, in addition to educational and job opportunity

11  enhancement, accomplish the goals established for sports

12  promotion in the state, NOW, THEREFORE,

13

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

15

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

17  212.20, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read:

18         212.20  Funds collected, disposition; additional powers

19  of department; operational expense; refund of taxes

20  adjudicated unconstitutionally collected.--

21         (6)  Distribution of all proceeds under this chapter

22  shall be as follows:

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

24  pursuant to this chapter shall be distributed as follows:

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

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

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

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

29  deposited in monthly installments into the General Revenue

30  Fund.

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1626
    314-2185A-99




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

  2  the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund.

  3         3.  After the distribution under subparagraphs 1. and

  4  2., 9.653 percent of the amount remitted by a sales tax dealer

  5  located within a participating county pursuant to s. 218.61

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

  7  Tax Clearing Trust Fund.

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

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

10  Government Half-cent Sales Tax Clearing Trust Fund and

11  distributed pursuant to s. 218.65.

12         5.  Of the remaining proceeds:

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

14  distributed monthly by the department to each applicant that

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

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

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

18  distributed monthly by the department to each applicant that

19  has been certified as a "new spring training franchise

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

21  60 days following such certification and shall continue for 30

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

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

24  distributions than actually expended by the applicant for the

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

26  certified applicant shall receive distributions up to the

27  maximum amount allowable and undistributed under this section

28  for additional renovations and improvements to the facility

29  for the franchise without additional certification.

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

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

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1626
    314-2185A-99




  1  Revenue that an applicant has been certified as the

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

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

  4  up to 300 months, to the applicant.

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

  6  Commerce to the Department of Revenue that the applicant has

  7  been certified as the International Game Fish Association

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

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

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

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

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

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

14  Revenue that the applicant has been certified as the World

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

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

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

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

19         6.  All other proceeds shall remain with the General

20  Revenue Fund.

21         Section 2.  Section 288.1171, Florida Statutes, is

22  created to read:

23         288.1171  World Bowling Village facility; duties.--

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

25  Development shall serve as the state agency for screening

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

27  certifying one applicant as the World Bowling Village facility

28  in the state.

29         (2)  Prior to certifying the World Bowling Village

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

31  Development must determine that:

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1626
    314-2185A-99




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

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

  3  a national training center, and a research and development

  4  center.

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

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

  7  contracted to construct or operate the World Bowling Village

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

  9         (c)  The municipality in which the World Bowling

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

11  located in an unincorporated area, has certified by resolution

12  after a public hearing that the application serves a public

13  purpose.

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

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

16  Economic Development, which demonstrates that the amount of

17  the revenues generated by the taxes imposed under chapter 212

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

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

20         (e)  Documentation exists that demonstrates that the

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

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

23  of the costs incurred or related to the improvement and

24  development of the facility.

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

26  executive of the applicant and is notarized according to

27  Florida law providing for penalties for falsification.

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

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

30  construction, reconstruction, renovation, furnishings,

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

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1626
    314-2185A-99




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

  2  debt service reserve funds, arbitrage rebate obligations, or

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

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

  5  facility or for the reimbursement of such costs or the

  6  refinancing of bonds issued for such purpose.

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

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

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

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

11  Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development shall notify the

12  executive director of the Department of Revenue and the

13  applicant of such certification by means of an official letter

14  granting certification.  From the date of such certification,

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

16  Village facility to the public and notify the Office of

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

18  Department of Revenue shall not begin distributing funds until

19  30 days following notice by the Office of Tourism, Trade, and

20  Economic Development that the World Bowling Village facility

21  is open to the public.

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

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

24  have been expended as required by this section.

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

26  Development must recertify every 10 years that the facility is

27  open and is meeting the minimum projections for sales tax

28  revenues as required at the time of original certification.

29  If the facility is not certified as meeting the minimum

30  projections, then funding will be abated until certification

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

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1626
    314-2185A-99




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

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

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

  4  fraction, the numerator of which is the actual revenues

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

  6  reduction shall remain in effect until revenues generated by

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

  8         Section 3.  (1)  In order to qualify for the

  9  distribution pursuant to section 212.20(6)5.d., Florida

10  Statutes, the World Bowling Village must create at least 30

11  new Florida jobs. For the purpose of this section, the term

12  "new Florida job" means a position filled with an existing

13  Florida resident.

14         (2)  The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

15  Development shall:

16         (a)  Document the number of new Florida jobs created by

17  the World Bowling Village; and

18         (b)  Once 30 new Florida jobs have been created and

19  documented, certify such to the Department of Revenue.

20         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

21

22          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
23                             SB 1626

24

25  The committee substitute provides that in order to qualify for
    the sales tax distribution, the World Bowing Village must
26  create at least 30 new Florida jobs. The term "new Florida
    jobs" is defined to mean a position filled with an existing
27  Florida resident. OTTED must document the number of "new
    Florida jobs" created by the World Bowling Village and once 30
28  "new Florida jobs" have been created and document, certify to
    the Department of Revenue.
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