House Bill 1437

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







    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1437

        By Representative K. Smith






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to enterprise zones; amending

  3         s. 290.004, F.S.; defining "rural enterprise

  4         zone"; creating s. 290.00676, F.S.; authorizing

  5         the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

  6         Development to amend the boundaries of a rural

  7         enterprise zone and providing requirements with

  8         respect thereto; creating s. 290.00677, F.S.;

  9         modifying the employee residency requirements

10         for the enterprise zone job credit against the

11         sales tax and corporate income tax, if the

12         business is located in a rural enterprise zone;

13         modifying the employee residency requirements

14         for maximum exemptions or credits with respect

15         to the sales tax credits for building materials

16         used in the rehabilitation of real property in

17         an enterprise zone, for business property used

18         in an enterprise zone, and for electrical

19         energy used in an enterprise zone, and the

20         corporate income tax enterprise zone property

21         tax credit, if the business is located in a

22         rural enterprise zone; providing application

23         time limitations; creating s. 290.00694, F.S.;

24         authorizing the Office of Tourism, Trade, and

25         Economic Development to designate rural

26         champion communities as enterprise zones;

27         providing requirements with respect thereto;

28         providing an effective date.

29

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

31

                                  1

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1437

    60-286-00






  1         Section 1.  Subsections (8) and (9) of section 290.004,

  2  Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (9) and (10),

  3  respectively, and a new subsection (8) is added to said

  4  section to read:

  5         290.004  Definitions.--As used in ss. 290.001-290.016:

  6         (8)  "Rural enterprise zone" means an enterprise zone

  7  that is nominated by a county with a population of 75,000 or

  8  fewer, or a county with a population of 100,000 or fewer which

  9  is contiguous to a county with a population of 75,000 or

10  fewer, or by a municipality in such a county, or by such a

11  county and one or more municipalities. An enterprise zone

12  designated in accordance with s. 370.28 shall be considered a

13  rural enterprise zone.

14         Section 2.  Section 290.00676, Florida Statutes, is

15  created to read:

16         290.00676  Amendment of rural enterprise zone

17  boundaries.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the

18  Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development may amend

19  the boundaries of a rural enterprise zone. For purposes of

20  boundary amendments, an enterprise zone designated under s.

21  370.28 shall be considered a rural enterprise zone and is

22  eligible for amendment of its boundaries. Boundary amendments

23  authorized by this section are subject to the following

24  requirements:

25         (1)  The amendment may increase the size of the rural

26  enterprise zone to 15 miles.

27         (2)  The amendment may increase the number of

28  noncontiguous areas by one, if that noncontiguous area has

29  zero population. For purposes of this subsection, the

30  pervasive poverty criteria may be set aside for the addition

31  of a noncontiguous parcel.

                                  2

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1437

    60-286-00






  1         (3)  The local enterprise zone development agency must

  2  request the amendment prior to December 30, 2000. The request

  3  must contain maps and sufficient information to allow the

  4  office to determine the number of noncontiguous areas and the

  5  total size of the rural enterprise zone.

  6         Section 3.  Section 290.00677, Florida Statutes, is

  7  created to read:

  8         290.00677  Rural enterprise zones; special

  9  qualifications.--

10         (1)  Notwithstanding the enterprise zone residency

11  requirements set out in ss. 212.096(1)(c) and 220.03(1)(q),

12  businesses located in rural enterprise zones may receive the

13  credit provided under s. 212.096 or s. 220.181 for hiring any

14  person within the jurisdiction of a rural county, as defined

15  by s. 288.106(2)(r). All other provisions of ss. 212.096,

16  220.03(1)(q), and 220.181 apply to such businesses.

17         (2)  Notwithstanding the requirement specified in ss.

18  212.08(5)(g)5., (5)(h)5., and (15)(a) and 220.182(1)(b) that

19  no less than 20 percent of a business's employees, excluding

20  temporary and part-time employees, must be residents of an

21  enterprise zone for the business to qualify for the maximum

22  exemption or credit provided in ss. 212.08(5)(g) and (h) and

23  (15) and 220.182, a business that is located in a rural

24  enterprise zone shall be qualified for those maximum

25  exemptions or credits if no less than 20 percent of such

26  employees of the business are residents of a rural county, as

27  defined by s. 288.106(2)(r). All other provisions of ss.

28  212.08(5)(g) and (h) and (15) and 220.182 apply to such

29  business.

30         (3)  Notwithstanding the time limitations contained in

31  chapters 212 and 220, a business eligible to receive tax

                                  3

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1437

    60-286-00






  1  credits under this section from January 1, 2000, to June 1,

  2  2000, must submit an application for the tax credits by

  3  December 1, 2000. All other requirements of the enterprise

  4  zone program apply to such a business.

  5         Section 4.  Section 290.00694, Florida Statutes, is

  6  created to read:

  7         290.00694  Enterprise zone designation for rural

  8  champion communities.--An area designated as a rural champion

  9  community pursuant to the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 may

10  apply to the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

11  Development for designation as an enterprise zone. The

12  application must be submitted by December 31, 2000, and must

13  comply with the requirements of s. 290.0055. Notwithstanding

14  the provisions of s. 290.0065 limiting the total number of

15  enterprise zones designated and the number of enterprise zones

16  within a population category, the Office of Tourism, Trade,

17  and Economic Development may designate enterprise zones under

18  this section. The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

19  Development shall establish the initial effective date of the

20  enterprise zones designated pursuant to this section.

21         Section 5.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

22  law.

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  4

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1437

    60-286-00






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

  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  3
      Defines "rural enterprise zone." Authorizes the Office of
  4    Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development to amend the
      boundaries of a rural enterprise zone and provides
  5    requirements with respect thereto. Modifies the employee
      residency requirements for the enterprise zone jobs
  6    credits against the sales tax and corporate income tax,
      if the business is located in a rural enterprise zone.
  7    Modifies the employee residency requirements for maximum
      exemptions or credits with respect to the sales tax
  8    credits for building materials used in the rehabilitation
      of real property in an enterprise zone, for business
  9    property used in an enterprise zone, and for electrical
      energy used in an enterprise zone, and the corporate
10    income tax enterprise zone property tax credit, if the
      business is located in a rural enterprise zone.
11    Authorizes the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic
      Development to designate rural champion communities as
12    enterprise zones and provides requirements with respect
      thereto.
13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  5