House Bill 1437c1

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







    Florida House of Representatives - 2000             CS/HB 1437

        By the Committee on Business Development & International
    Trade and 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 jobs 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, the

20         enterprise zone jobs credit against the sales

21         tax and the corporate income tax, and the

22         corporate income tax enterprise zone property

23         tax credit, if the business is located in a

24         rural enterprise zone; providing application

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

26         authorizing the Office of Tourism, Trade, and

27         Economic Development to designate rural

28         champion communities as enterprise zones;

29         providing requirements with respect thereto;

30         providing an effective date.

31

                                  1

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000             CS/HB 1437

    170-865-00






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

  2

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

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

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

  6  section to read:

  7         290.004  Definitions.--As used in ss. 290.001-290.016:

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

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

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

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

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

13  county and one or more municipalities. An enterprise zone

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

15  rural enterprise zone.

16         Section 2.  Section 290.00676, Florida Statutes, is

17  created to read:

18         290.00676  Amendment of rural enterprise zone

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

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

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

22  boundary amendments, an enterprise zone designated under s.

23  370.28 shall be considered a rural enterprise zone and is

24  eligible for amendment of its boundaries. Boundary amendments

25  authorized by this section are subject to the following

26  requirements:

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

28  enterprise zone to 15 square miles.

29         (2)  The amendment may increase the number of

30  noncontiguous areas by one, if that noncontiguous area has

31  zero population. For purposes of this subsection, the

                                  2

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000             CS/HB 1437

    170-865-00






  1  pervasive poverty criteria may be set aside for the addition

  2  of a noncontiguous parcel.

  3         (3)  The local enterprise zone development agency must

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

  5  must contain maps and sufficient information to allow the

  6  office to determine the number of noncontiguous areas and the

  7  total size of the rural enterprise zone.

  8         Section 3.  Section 290.00677, Florida Statutes, is

  9  created to read:

10         290.00677  Rural enterprise zones; special

11  qualifications.--

12         (1)  Notwithstanding the enterprise zone residency

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

14  businesses located in rural enterprise zones may receive the

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

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

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

18  220.03(1)(q), and 220.181 apply to such businesses.

19         (2)  Notwithstanding the requirement specified in ss.

20  212.08(5)(g)5., (5)(h)5., and (15)(a), 212.096(2)(b)1.,

21  220.181(1)(a)1., and 220.182(1)(b) that no less than 20

22  percent of a business's employees, excluding temporary and

23  part-time employees, must be residents of an enterprise zone

24  for the business to qualify for the maximum exemption or

25  credit provided in ss. 212.08(5)(g) and (h) and (15),

26  212.096(2)(b)1., 220.181(1)(a)1., and 220.182, a business that

27  is located in a rural enterprise zone shall be qualified for

28  those maximum exemptions or credits if no less than 20 percent

29  of such employees of the business are residents of a rural

30  county, as defined by s. 288.106(2)(r). All other provisions

31

                                  3

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000             CS/HB 1437

    170-865-00






  1  of ss. 212.08(5)(g) and (h) and (15), 212.096, 220.181, and

  2  220.182 apply to such business.

  3         (3)  Notwithstanding the time limitations contained in

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

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

  6  2000, must submit an application for the tax credits by

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

  8  zone program apply to such a business.

  9         Section 4.  Section 290.00694, Florida Statutes, is

10  created to read:

11         290.00694  Enterprise zone designation for rural

12  champion communities.--A county or municipality, or a county

13  and municipality together, in which an area designated as a

14  rural champion community pursuant to the Taxpayer Relief Act

15  of 1997 is located may apply to the Office of Tourism, Trade,

16  and Economic Development for designation of that rural

17  champion community as an enterprise zone. The application must

18  be submitted by December 31, 2000, and must comply with the

19  requirements of s. 290.0055, with the exception of s.

20  290.0055(4). Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 290.0065

21  limiting the total number of enterprise zones designated and

22  the number of enterprise zones within a population category,

23  the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development may

24  designate enterprise zones under this section. The Office of

25  Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development shall establish the

26  initial effective date of the enterprise zones designated

27  pursuant to this section.

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

29  law.

30

31

                                  4