House Bill 2181

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 2181

        By the Committee on Community Affairs and Representative
    Gay





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to special districts; amending

  3         s. 189.4031, F.S.; providing that community

  4         development districts established pursuant to

  5         ch. 190, F.S., shall be deemed in compliance

  6         with certain charter requirements; amending s.

  7         189.405, F.S.; requiring newly elected or

  8         appointed special district board members to

  9         complete an educational course conducted by the

10         Florida Association of Special Districts and

11         providing requirements with respect thereto;

12         providing requirements with respect to fees;

13         amending s. 189.412, F.S.; providing that the

14         Special District Information Program may assist

15         with the association's annual conference;

16         amending s. 190.004, F.S.; specifying

17         requirements for the charter of a community

18         development district; amending s. 190.005,

19         F.S.; providing requirements for the petition

20         to reestablish an existing special district as

21         a community development district; revising

22         language with respect to establishment of such

23         districts; amending ss. 190.006 and 190.011,

24         F.S.; revising requirements relating to the

25         date of the election for the board of

26         supervisors of such districts; revising

27         requirements relating to the location of the

28         office of such a district; authorizing the

29         holding of meetings at such office for certain

30         districts; amending s. 190.009, F.S.; revising

31         requirements relating to provision of the

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  1         disclosure of public financing by such

  2         districts to prospective purchasers of real

  3         property; amending s. 190.012, F.S.; revising

  4         and expanding the powers of such districts;

  5         amending s. 190.021, F.S.; specifying the

  6         status of special assessments imposed by such

  7         districts; specifying that such assessments

  8         constitute a lien against the property;

  9         providing for collection thereof and tax

10         collectors' compensation; amending s. 190.022,

11         F.S.; revising requirements relating to special

12         assessments for construction, acquisition, or

13         maintenance of district facilities; amending s.

14         190.033, F.S.; revising bid requirements for

15         the purchase of goods and the construction or

16         improvement of public works and for contracts

17         for maintenance services; amending s. 190.046,

18         F.S.; revising requirements relating to consent

19         to a change in the boundaries of such districts

20         and limitations on such boundary changes;

21         amending s. 190.048, F.S.; revising

22         requirements relating to the required

23         disclosure to purchasers of real estate within

24         a district; creating s. 190.0485, F.S.;

25         requiring such districts to record a notice of

26         establishment; providing for application to

27         existing districts; amending s. 190.049, F.S.;

28         providing an exception to the prohibition

29         against special laws or general laws of local

30         application creating an independent special

31         district having two or more of a community

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  1         development district's special powers

  2         enumerated in s. 190.012, F.S.; providing an

  3         effective date.

  4

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

  6

  7         Section 1.  Subsection (2) of section 189.4031, Florida

  8  Statutes, is amended to read:

  9         189.4031  Special districts; creation, dissolution, and

10  reporting requirements; charter requirements.--

11         (2)  Notwithstanding any general law, special act, or

12  ordinance of a local government to the contrary, any

13  independent special district charter enacted after the

14  effective date of this section shall contain the information

15  required by s. 189.404(3). Recognizing that the exclusive

16  charter for a community development district is the statutory

17  charter contained in ss. 190.006 through 190.041, community

18  development districts established after July 1, 1980, pursuant

19  to the provisions of chapter 190 shall be deemed in compliance

20  with this requirement.

21         Section 2.  Subsections (5) and (6) of section 189.405,

22  Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, are renumbered as

23  subsections (6) and (7), respectively, and a new subsection

24  (5) is added to said section to read:

25         189.405  Elections; general requirements and

26  procedures.--

27         (5)(a)  Beginning August 1, 2000, all newly elected or

28  appointed members of district boards, as identified by the

29  Division of Elections of the Department of State, shall

30  complete, at a minimum, 6 hours of elected officials'

31  education courses within the first calendar year of election

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  1  or appointment. The department shall assist the Florida

  2  Association of Special Districts, or its successor, in

  3  conducting the education program at its annual conference.

  4  This education program, in conjunction with the annual

  5  conference, shall include, but is not limited to, courses on

  6  the code of ethics for public officers and employees, public

  7  meetings and public records requirements, public finance, and

  8  parliamentary procedure. Course content may be offered by

  9  means of the following: videotapes, live seminars, workshops,

10  conferences, teleconferences, computer-based training,

11  multimedia presentations, or other available instructional

12  methods. Members unable to attend the conference may fulfill

13  this requirement by viewing a videotape of the course or

14  accessing the course through some other medium. Content of the

15  course and the media employed shall be decided by the Florida

16  Association of Special Districts, or its successor. It shall

17  be the responsibility of each member to demonstrate compliance

18  with this education requirement by filing with the district

19  clerk or secretary a course completion statement, signed by

20  the course provider, within 30 days of completing the

21  education program. Any member who fails to show compliance

22  within the first calendar year of election or appointment

23  shall not be entitled to vote on district matters until the

24  requirement is satisfied.

25         (b)1.  Fees, if any, paid by participants at the annual

26  conference shall include any costs associated with the

27  education program.

28         2.  An individual district board, at its discretion,

29  may bear the costs associated with educating its members.

30  Board members of districts which have qualified for a zero

31  annual fee for the most recent invoicing period pursuant to s.

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  1  189.427 shall not be required to pay a fee for the education

  2  program.

  3         (c)  This subsection does not apply to special district

  4  governing board members who are also elected governing board

  5  members of local general-purpose governments, members of the

  6  judiciary, or nonvoting appointees.

  7         Section 3.  Subsection (7) of section 189.412, Florida

  8  Statutes, is amended to read:

  9         189.412  Special District Information Program; duties

10  and responsibilities.--The Special District Information

11  Program of the Department of Community Affairs is created and

12  has the following special duties:

13         (7)  The provision of assistance related to and

14  appropriate in the performance of requirements specified in

15  this chapter, including assisting with an annual conference

16  sponsored by the Florida Association of Special Districts or

17  its successor.

18         Section 4.  Subsection (3) of section 190.004, Florida

19  Statutes, is amended, and subsection (4) is added to said

20  section, to read:

21         190.004  Preemption; sole authority.--

22         (3)  The establishment creation of an independent

23  community development district as provided in this act is not

24  a development order within the meaning of chapter 380.  All

25  governmental planning, environmental, and land development

26  laws, regulations, and ordinances apply to all development of

27  the land within a community development district. Community

28  development districts do not have the power of a local

29  government to adopt a comprehensive plan, building code, or

30  land development code, as those terms are defined in the Local

31  Government Comprehensive Planning and Land Development

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  1  Regulation Act.  A district shall take no action which is

  2  inconsistent with applicable comprehensive plans, ordinances,

  3  or regulations of the applicable local general-purpose

  4  government.

  5         (4)  The exclusive charter for a community development

  6  district shall be the uniform community development district

  7  charter as set forth in ss. 190.006 through 190.041, including

  8  the special powers provided by s. 190.012.

  9         Section 5.  Paragraph (e) of subsection (1) and

10  subsection (3) of section 190.005, Florida Statutes, 1998

11  Supplement, are amended to read:

12         190.005  Establishment of district.--

13         (1)  The exclusive and uniform method for the

14  establishment of a community development district with a size

15  of 1,000 acres or more shall be pursuant to a rule, adopted

16  under chapter 120 by the Florida Land and Water Adjudicatory

17  Commission, granting a petition for the establishment of a

18  community development district.

19         (e)  The Florida Land and Water Adjudicatory Commission

20  shall consider the entire record of the local hearing, the

21  transcript of the hearing, resolutions adopted by local

22  general-purpose governments as provided in paragraph (c), and

23  the following factors and make a determination to grant or

24  deny a petition for the establishment of a community

25  development district:

26         1.  Whether all statements contained within the

27  petition have been found to be true and correct.

28         2.  Whether the establishment creation of the district

29  is inconsistent with any applicable element or portion of the

30  state comprehensive plan or of the effective local government

31  comprehensive plan.

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  1         3.  Whether the area of land within the proposed

  2  district is of sufficient size, is sufficiently compact, and

  3  is sufficiently contiguous to be developable as one functional

  4  interrelated community.

  5         4.  Whether the district is the best alternative

  6  available for delivering community development services and

  7  facilities to the area that will be served by the district.

  8         5.  Whether the community development services and

  9  facilities of the district will be incompatible with the

10  capacity and uses of existing local and regional community

11  development services and facilities.

12         6.  Whether the area that will be served by the

13  district is amenable to separate special-district government.

14         (3)  The governing body of any existing special

15  district, created to provide one or more of the public

16  improvements and community facilities authorized by this act,

17  may petition, pursuant to this act, for reestablishment of the

18  existing district as a community development district pursuant

19  to this act. The petition shall contain the information

20  specified in subparagraphs (1)(a)1., 3., 4., 5., 6., and 7.

21  and shall not require payment of a fee pursuant to paragraph

22  (1)(b). In such case, the new district so formed shall assume

23  the existing obligations, indebtedness, and guarantees of

24  indebtedness of the district so subsumed, and the existing

25  district shall be terminated.

26         Section 6.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) and

27  subsection (7) of section 190.006, Florida Statutes, are

28  amended to read:

29         190.006  Board of supervisors; members and meetings.--

30         (2)(a)  Within 90 days following the effective date of

31  the rule or ordinance establishing the district, there shall

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  1  be held a meeting of the landowners of the district for the

  2  purpose of electing five supervisors for the district.  Notice

  3  of the landowners' meeting shall be published once a week for

  4  2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper which is in general

  5  circulation in the area of the district, the last day of such

  6  publication to be not fewer than 14 days or more than 28 days

  7  before the date of the election.  The landowners, when

  8  assembled at such meeting, shall organize by electing a chair

  9  who shall conduct the meeting.

10         (b)  At such meeting, each landowner shall be entitled

11  to cast one vote per acre of land owned by him or her and

12  located within the district for each person to be elected.  A

13  landowner may vote in person or by proxy in writing. A

14  fraction of an acre shall be treated as 1 acre, entitling the

15  landowner to one vote with respect thereto.  The two

16  candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be

17  elected for a period of 4 years, and the three candidates

18  receiving the next largest number of votes shall be elected

19  for a period of 2 years. The members of the first board

20  elected by landowners shall serve their respective 4-year or

21  2-year terms; however, the next election by landowners shall

22  be held on the first Tuesday in November. Thereafter, there

23  shall be an election of supervisors for the district every 2

24  years on the first Tuesday in November on a date established

25  by the board and noticed pursuant to paragraph (a). The two

26  candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be

27  elected to serve for a 4-year period, and the remaining

28  candidate elected shall serve for a 2-year period.

29         (7)  The board shall keep a permanent record book

30  entitled "Record of Proceedings of ...(name of district)...

31  Community Development District," in which shall be recorded

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  1  minutes of all meetings, resolutions, proceedings,

  2  certificates, bonds given by all employees, and any and all

  3  corporate acts.  The record book shall at reasonable times be

  4  opened to inspection in the same manner as state, county, and

  5  municipal records pursuant to chapter 119.  The record book

  6  shall be kept at the office or other regular place of business

  7  maintained by the board in the county or municipality in which

  8  the district is located or within the boundaries of a

  9  development of regional impact or Florida Quality Development,

10  or combination of a development of regional impact and Florida

11  Quality Development, which includes the district.

12         Section 7.  Subsection (1) of section 190.009, Florida

13  Statutes, is amended to read:

14         190.009  Disclosure of public financing.--

15         (1)  The district shall take affirmative steps to

16  provide for the full disclosure of information relating to the

17  public financing and maintenance of improvements to real

18  property undertaken by the district. Such information shall be

19  made available to all existing residents, and to all

20  prospective residents, of the district.  The district shall

21  furnish each developer of a residential development within the

22  district with sufficient copies of that information to provide

23  each prospective initial purchaser of property in that

24  development with a copy, and any developer of a residential

25  development within the district, when required by law to

26  provide a public offering statement, shall include a copy of

27  such information relating to the public financing and

28  maintenance of improvements in the public offering statement.

29         Section 8.  Subsection (6) of section 190.011, Florida

30  Statutes, is amended to read:

31

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  1         190.011  General powers.--The district shall have, and

  2  the board may exercise, the following powers:

  3         (6)  To maintain an office at such place or places as

  4  it may designate within a county in which the district is

  5  located or within the boundaries of a development of regional

  6  impact or a Florida Quality Development, or a combination of a

  7  development of regional impact and a Florida Quality

  8  Development, which includes the district, which office must be

  9  reasonably accessible to the landowners. Meetings pursuant to

10  s. 189.417(3) of a district within the boundaries of a

11  development of regional impact or Florida Quality Development,

12  or a combination of a development of regional impact and a

13  Florida Quality Development, may be held at such office.

14         Section 9.  Subsection (1) of section 190.012, Florida

15  Statutes, is amended to read:

16         190.012  Special powers; public improvements and

17  community facilities.--The district shall have, and the board

18  may exercise, subject to the regulatory jurisdiction and

19  permitting authority of all applicable governmental bodies,

20  agencies, and special districts having authority with respect

21  to any area included therein, any or all of the following

22  special powers relating to public improvements and community

23  facilities authorized by this act:

24         (1)  To finance, fund, plan, establish, acquire,

25  construct or reconstruct, enlarge or extend, equip, operate,

26  and maintain systems, and facilities, and basic

27  infrastructures for the following basic infrastructures:

28         (a)  Water management and control for the lands within

29  the district and to connect some or any of such facilities

30  with roads and bridges.

31

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  1         (b)  Water supply, sewer, and wastewater management,

  2  reclamation, and reuse or any combination thereof, and to

  3  construct and operate connecting intercepting or outlet sewers

  4  and sewer mains and pipes and water mains, conduits, or

  5  pipelines in, along, and under any street, alley, highway, or

  6  other public place or ways, and to dispose of any effluent,

  7  residue, or other byproducts of such system or sewer system.

  8         (c)  Bridges or culverts that may be needed across any

  9  drain, ditch, canal, floodway, holding basin, excavation,

10  public highway, tract, grade, fill, or cut and roadways over

11  levees and embankments, and to construct any and all of such

12  works and improvements across, through, or over any public

13  right-of-way, highway, grade, fill, or cut.

14         (d)1.  District roads equal to or exceeding the

15  specifications of the county in which such district roads are

16  located, and street lights.

17         2.  Buses, trolleys, transit shelters, ridesharing

18  facilities and services, parking improvements, and related

19  signage.

20         (e)  Conservation areas, mitigation areas, and wildlife

21  habitat, including the maintenance of any plant or animal

22  species, and any related interest in real or personal

23  property.

24         (f)(e)  Any other project within or without the

25  boundaries of a district when a local government issued a

26  development order pursuant to s. 380.06 or s. 380.061

27  approving or expressly requiring the construction or funding

28  of the project by the district, or when the project is the

29  subject of an agreement between the district and a

30  governmental entity and is consistent with the local

31

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  1  government comprehensive plan of the local government within

  2  which the project is to be located.

  3         Section 10.  Subsections (8) and (9) are added to

  4  section 190.021, Florida Statutes, to read:

  5         190.021  Taxes; non-ad valorem assessments.--

  6         (8)  STATUS OF ASSESSMENTS.--Benefit special

  7  assessments, maintenance special assessments, and special

  8  assessments are non-ad valorem assessments as defined by s.

  9  197.3632.

10         (9)  ASSESSMENTS CONSTITUTE LIENS; COLLECTION.--Benefit

11  special assessments and maintenance special assessments

12  authorized by this section, and special assessments authorized

13  by s. 190.022, shall constitute a lien on the property against

14  which assessed from the date of imposition thereof until paid,

15  co-equal with the lien of state, county, municipal, and school

16  board taxes. These non-ad valorem assessments may be

17  collected, at the district's discretion, by the tax collector

18  pursuant to the provisions of s. 197.363 or s. 197.3632, or in

19  accordance with other collection measures provided by law.

20  Compensation to the tax collector for the necessary

21  administrative costs and costs of collection of the district's

22  non-ad valorem assessments shall be calculated pursuant to s.

23  192.091(2)(b)2. if collected by the tax collector under any

24  collection measure provided by law.

25         Section 11.  Section 190.022, Florida Statutes, is

26  amended to read:

27         190.022  Special assessments.--

28         (1)  The board may levy special assessments for the

29  construction, reconstruction, acquisition, or maintenance of

30  district facilities authorized under this chapter using the

31

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  1  procedures for levy and collection provided in chapter 170 or

  2  chapter 197.

  3         (2)  Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 170.09,

  4  district assessments may be made payable in no more than 30 20

  5  yearly installments.

  6         Section 12.  Subsections (1) and (3) of section

  7  190.033, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

  8         190.033  Bids required.--

  9         (1)  No contract shall be let by the board for the

10  construction of any project authorized by this act, nor shall

11  any goods, supplies, or materials to be purchased, when the

12  amount thereof to be paid by the district shall exceed the

13  amount provided in s. 287.017 for category four $10,000,

14  unless notice of bids shall be advertised once in a newspaper

15  in general circulation in the county and in the district. Any

16  board seeking to construct or improve a public building,

17  structure, or other public works shall comply with the bidding

18  procedures of s. 255.20 and other applicable general law. In

19  each case, the bid of the lowest responsive and responsible

20  bidder shall be accepted unless all bids are rejected because

21  the bids are too high, or the board determines it is in the

22  best interests of the district to reject all bids.  The board

23  may require the bidders to furnish bond with a responsible

24  surety to be approved by the board.  Nothing in this section

25  shall prevent the board from undertaking and performing the

26  construction, operation, and maintenance of any project or

27  facility authorized by this act by the employment of labor,

28  material, and machinery.

29         (3)  Contracts for maintenance services for any

30  district facility or project shall be subject to competitive

31  bidding requirements when the amount thereof to be paid by the

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  1  district exceeds the amount provided in s. 287.017(1) and (2)

  2  for category four two.  The district shall adopt rules,

  3  policies, or procedures establishing competitive bidding

  4  procedures for maintenance services. Contracts for other

  5  services shall not be subject to competitive bidding unless

  6  the district adopts a rule, policy, or procedure applying

  7  competitive bidding procedures to said contracts.

  8         Section 13.  Paragraphs (e) and (f) of subsection (1)

  9  of section 190.046, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

10         190.046  Termination, contraction, or expansion of

11  district.--

12         (1)  The board may petition to contract or expand the

13  boundaries of a community development district in the

14  following manner:

15         (e)  In all cases, written consent of all the

16  landowners whose land is to be added to or deleted from the

17  district shall be required. The filing of the petition for

18  expansion or contraction by the district board of supervisors

19  shall constitute consent of the landowners within the district

20  other than of landowners whose land is proposed to be added to

21  or removed from the district.

22         (f)1.  During the existence of a the district initially

23  established by administrative rule, petitions to amend the

24  boundaries of the district pursuant to paragraphs (a)-(e)

25  shall be limited to a cumulative total of no more than 10

26  percent of the land in the initial district, and in no event

27  shall all such petitions to amend the boundaries ever

28  encompass more than a total of 250 acres.

29         2.  For districts initially established by county or

30  municipal ordinance, the limitation provided by this paragraph

31  shall be a cumulative total of no more than 50 percent of the

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  1  land in the initial district, and in no event shall all such

  2  petitions to amend the boundaries ever encompass more than a

  3  total of 500 acres.

  4         3.  Boundary expansions for districts initially

  5  established by county or municipal ordinance shall follow the

  6  procedure set forth in paragraph (b) or paragraph (c).

  7         Section 14.  Section 190.048, Florida Statutes, is

  8  amended to read:

  9         190.048  Sale of real estate within a district;

10  required disclosure to purchaser.--Subsequent to the

11  establishment creation of a district under this chapter, each

12  contract for the initial sale of a parcel of real property and

13  each contract for the initial sale of a residential unit

14  estate within the district shall include, immediately prior to

15  the space reserved in the contract for the signature of the

16  purchaser, the following disclosure statement in boldfaced and

17  conspicuous type which is larger than the type in the

18  remaining text of the contract: "THE ...(Name of

19  District)...COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT MAY IMPOSE AND LEVY

20  IMPOSES TAXES OR ASSESSMENTS, OR BOTH TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS,

21  ON THIS PROPERTY THROUGH A SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICT.  THESE

22  TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS PAY THE CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, AND

23  MAINTENANCE COSTS OF CERTAIN PUBLIC FACILITIES AND SERVICES OF

24  THE DISTRICT AND ARE SET ANNUALLY BY THE GOVERNING BOARD OF

25  THE DISTRICT.  THESE TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS ARE IN ADDITION TO

26  COUNTY AND OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS AND

27  ALL OTHER TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS PROVIDED FOR BY LAW."

28         Section 15.  Section 190.0485, Florida Statutes, is

29  created to read:

30         190.0485  Notice of establishment.--Within 30 days

31  after the effective date of a rule or ordinance establishing a

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  1  community development district under this act, the district

  2  shall cause to be recorded in the property records in the

  3  county in which it is located a "Notice of Establishment of

  4  the      Community Development District."  The notice shall,

  5  at a minimum, include the legal description of the district

  6  and a copy of the disclosure statement specified in s.

  7  190.048.

  8         Section 16.  Each community development district in

  9  existence on the effective date of this act shall record a

10  notice of establishment as specified in s. 190.0485, Florida

11  Statutes, as created by this act, within 90 days after that

12  date, unless the district has previously recorded a notice

13  that meets the requirements set forth in that section.

14         Section 17.  (1)  Section 190.049, Florida Statutes, is

15  amended to read:

16         190.049  Special acts prohibited.--Pursuant to s.

17  11(a)(21), Art. III of the State Constitution, there shall be

18  no special law or general law of local application creating an

19  independent special district which has the powers enumerated

20  in two or more of the paragraphs contained in s. 190.012,

21  unless such district is created pursuant to the provisions of

22  s. 189.404.

23         (2)  This section shall take effect upon this act

24  becoming a law, if passed by a three-fifths vote of the

25  membership of each house.

26         Section 18.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

27  law.

28

29

30

31

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  1            *****************************************

  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  3
      Requires newly elected or appointed special district
  4    board members to complete an educational course conducted
      by the Florida Association of Special Districts at its
  5    annual conference and provides requirements with respect
      thereto.
  6

  7    Provides that community development districts established
      pursuant to ch. 190, F.S., shall be deemed in compliance
  8    with certain charter requirements and specifies
      requirements for such districts' charters. Provides
  9    requirements for the petition to reestablish an existing
      special district as a community development district.
10    Revises requirements relating to the date of the election
      of such a district's board of supervisors. Revises
11    requirements relating to the location of the office of
      such a district and authorizes certain districts to hold
12    meetings at their office. Revises requirements relating
      to provision of the disclosure of public financing by
13    such districts to prospective purchasers of real
      property. Revises and expands district powers. Specifies
14    the status of special assessments imposed by such
      districts. Specifies that such assessments constitute a
15    lien against the property and provides for collection
      thereof and for tax collectors' compensation. Revises
16    requirements relating to special assessments for
      construction, acquisition, or maintenance of district
17    facilities. Revises bid requirements for the purchase of
      goods and the construction or improvement of public works
18    and for contracts for maintenance services. Revises
      requirements relating to consent to the change in the
19    boundaries of such districts and limitations on such
      boundary changes. Revises requirements relating to the
20    required disclosure to purchasers of real estate within a
      district. Requires such districts to record a notice of
21    establishment and provides for application to existing
      districts. Provides an exception to the prohibition
22    against special laws or general laws of local application
      creating an independent special district having two or
23    more of a community development district's special powers
      enumerated in s. 190.012, F.S.
24

25

26

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30

31

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