House Bill 0519e1

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                                        CS/HB 519, First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to spring training franchise

  3         facilities; amending s. 125.0104, F.S.;

  4         defining the term "retained spring training

  5         franchise"; providing that the additional local

  6         option tourist development taxes presently

  7         authorized to finance the construction or

  8         renovation of a professional sports franchise

  9         facility may also be used to finance the

10         acquisition, construction, or renovation of a

11         retained spring training franchise facility;

12         correcting a reference; providing an

13         appropriation to the Office of Tourism, Trade,

14         and Economic Development for a grant to a local

15         government for the acquisition, construction,

16         reconstruction, or renovation of a retained

17         spring training franchise facility and

18         providing conditions with respect thereto;

19         providing an effective date.

20

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

22

23         Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (2), paragraphs

24  (l) and (n) of subsection (3), and paragraph (d) of subsection

25  (5) of section 125.0104, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement,

26  are amended to read:

27         125.0104  Tourist development tax; procedure for

28  levying; authorized uses; referendum; enforcement.--

29         (2)  APPLICATION; DEFINITIONS.--

30         (b)  Definitions.--For purposes of this section:

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                                        CS/HB 519, First Engrossed



  1         1.  "Promotion" means marketing or advertising designed

  2  to increase tourist-related business activities.

  3         2.  "Tourist" means a person who participates in trade

  4  or recreation activities outside the county of his or her

  5  permanent residence or who rents or leases transient

  6  accommodations as described in paragraph (3)(a).

  7         3.  "Retained spring training franchise" means a spring

  8  training franchise that had a location in this state on or

  9  before December 31, 1998, and that has continuously remained

10  at that location for at least the 10 years preceding that

11  date.

12         (3)  TAXABLE PRIVILEGES; EXEMPTIONS; LEVY; RATE.--

13         (l)  In addition to any other tax which is imposed

14  pursuant to this section, a county may impose up to an

15  additional 1-percent tax on the exercise of the privilege

16  described in paragraph (a) by majority vote of the governing

17  board of the county in order to:

18         1.  Pay the debt service on bonds issued to finance the

19  construction, reconstruction, or renovation of a professional

20  sports franchise facility, or the acquisition, construction,

21  reconstruction, or renovation of a retained spring training

22  franchise facility, either publicly owned and operated, or

23  publicly owned and operated by the owner of a professional

24  sports franchise or other lessee with sufficient expertise or

25  financial capability to operate such facility, and to pay the

26  planning and design costs incurred prior to the issuance of

27  such bonds.

28         2.  Pay the debt service on bonds issued to finance the

29  construction, reconstruction, or renovation of a convention

30  center, and to pay the planning and design costs incurred

31  prior to the issuance of such bonds.


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                                        CS/HB 519, First Engrossed



  1         3.  Pay the operation and maintenance costs of a

  2  convention center for a period of up to 10 years. Only

  3  counties that have elected to levy the tax for the purposes

  4  authorized in subparagraph 2. may use the tax for the purposes

  5  enumerated in this subparagraph.

  6

  7  The provision of paragraph (b) which prohibits any county

  8  authorized to levy a convention development tax pursuant to s.

  9  212.0305 from levying more than the 2-percent tax authorized

10  by this section, and the provisions of paragraphs (4)(a)

11  through (d), shall not apply to the additional tax authorized

12  in this paragraph. The effective date of the levy and

13  imposition of the tax authorized under this paragraph shall be

14  the first day of the second month following approval of the

15  ordinance by the governing board or the first day of any

16  subsequent month as may be specified in the ordinance.  A

17  certified copy of such ordinance shall be furnished by the

18  county to the Department of Revenue within 10 days after

19  approval of such ordinance.

20         (n)  In addition to any other tax that is imposed under

21  this section, a county that has imposed the tax under

22  paragraph (l) may impose an additional tax that is no greater

23  than 1 percent on the exercise of the privilege described in

24  paragraph (a) by a majority plus one vote of the membership of

25  the board of county commissioners in order to pay the debt

26  service on bonds issued to finance:

27         1.  The construction, reconstruction, or renovation of

28  a facility either publicly owned and operated, or publicly

29  owned and operated by the owner of a professional sports

30  franchise or other lessee with sufficient expertise or

31  financial capability to operate such facility, and to pay the


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                                        CS/HB 519, First Engrossed



  1  planning and design costs incurred prior to the issuance of

  2  such bonds for a new professional sports franchise as defined

  3  in s. 288.1162.

  4         2.  The acquisition, construction, reconstruction, or

  5  renovation of a facility either publicly owned and operated,

  6  or publicly owned and operated by the owner of a professional

  7  sports franchise or other lessee with sufficient expertise or

  8  financial capability to operate such facility, and to pay the

  9  planning and design costs incurred prior to the issuance of

10  such bonds for a retained spring training franchise.

11

12  A county that imposes the tax authorized in this paragraph may

13  not expend any ad valorem tax revenues for the acquisition,

14  construction, reconstruction, or renovation of that facility.

15  The provision of paragraph (b) which prohibits any county

16  authorized to levy a convention development tax pursuant to s.

17  212.0305 from levying more than the 2-percent tax authorized

18  by this section shall not apply to the additional tax

19  authorized by this paragraph in counties which levy convention

20  development taxes pursuant to s. 212.0305(4)(a). Subsection

21  (4) does not apply to the adoption of the additional tax

22  authorized in this paragraph. The effective date of the levy

23  and imposition of the tax authorized under this paragraph is

24  the first day of the second month following approval of the

25  ordinance by the board of county commissioners or the first

26  day of any subsequent month specified in the ordinance. A

27  certified copy of such ordinance shall be furnished by the

28  county to the Department of Revenue within 10 days after

29  approval of the ordinance.

30         (5)  AUTHORIZED USES OF REVENUE.--

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                                        CS/HB 519, First Engrossed



  1         (d)  Any use of the local option tourist development

  2  tax revenues collected pursuant to this section for a purpose

  3  not expressly authorized by paragraph (3)(l) or paragraph

  4  (3)(n)(o) or paragraph (a), paragraph (b), or paragraph (c) of

  5  this subsection is expressly prohibited.

  6         Section 2.  There is appropriated to the Office of

  7  Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development from the General

  8  Revenue Fund $3.75 million in fiscal year 1999-2000 and $3.75

  9  million in fiscal year 2000-2001 to be used as a grant to a

10  unit of local government for the acquisition, construction,

11  reconstruction, or renovation of a privately owned retained

12  spring training franchise facility. No funds shall be released

13  until the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development

14  determines that a unit of local government, as defined in s.

15  218.369, Florida Statutes, is responsible for the acquisition,

16  construction, management, or operation of the retained spring

17  training franchise facility or holds title to the property on

18  which the retained spring training franchise facility is

19  located; that the unit of local government has a verified copy

20  of a signed agreement with a retained spring training

21  franchise for the use of the facility for a term of at least

22  15 years; that the unit of local government has a financial

23  commitment to provide 50 percent or more of the funds required

24  by an agreement for the use of the facility by the retained

25  spring training franchise; and that the unit of local

26  government has projections, verified by the Office of Tourism,

27  Trade, and Economic Development, which demonstrate that the

28  facility will attract a paid attendance of at least 50,000

29  annually.

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

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