Senate Bill 2588

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 2588

    By Senator Kirkpatrick





    5-1493-00

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to economic development;

  3         amending s. 220.191, F.S.; redefining the term

  4         "qualifying project"; limiting the application

  5         of the capital investment annual tax credit;

  6         revising qualification standards for such

  7         credits; revising certain application

  8         procedures; establishing minimum standards for

  9         application guidelines; amending s. 288.1088,

10         F.S.; revising procedures related to the award

11         of funds to certain target industries from the

12         Quick Action Closing Fund; providing an

13         effective date.

14

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

16

17         Section 1.  Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) and

18  subsections (2), (3), (4), and (5) of section 220.191, Florida

19  Statutes, are amended to read:

20         220.191  Capital investment tax credit.--

21         (1)  DEFINITIONS.--For purposes of this section:

22         (h)  "Qualifying project" means a new or expanding

23  facility in this state which creates at least 100 new jobs in

24  this state and is in one of the target-industry high-impact

25  sectors identified by Enterprise Florida, Inc., and certified

26  by the office pursuant to s. 288.106(2)(o) s. 288.108(6),

27  including, but not limited to, aviation, aerospace,

28  automotive, and silicon technology industries.

29         (2)  An annual credit against the tax imposed by this

30  chapter shall be granted to any qualifying business in an

31  amount equal to 5 percent of the eligible capital costs

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 2588
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  1  generated by a qualifying project, for a period not to exceed

  2  20 years beginning with the commencement of operations of the

  3  project. The tax credit shall be granted against only the

  4  corporate income tax liability or the premium tax liability

  5  generated by or arising out of the qualifying project, and the

  6  sum of all tax credits provided pursuant to this section shall

  7  not exceed 100 percent of the eligible capital costs of the

  8  project. In no event may any credit granted under this section

  9  be carried forward or backward by any qualifying business with

10  respect to a subsequent or prior year. The annual tax credit

11  granted under this section shall not exceed the following

12  percentages of the annual corporate income tax liability or

13  the premium tax liability generated by or arising out of a

14  qualifying project:

15         (a)  Fifty One hundred percent for a qualifying project

16  which results in a cumulative capital investment of at least

17  $100 million.

18         (b)  Twenty-five Seventy-five percent for a qualifying

19  project which results in a cumulative capital investment of at

20  least $50 million but less than $100 million.

21         (c)  Fifty percent for a qualifying project which

22  results in a cumulative capital investment of at least $25

23  million but less than $50 million.

24

25  A qualifying project that which results in a cumulative

26  capital investment of less than $50 $25 million is not

27  eligible to be considered for the capital investment tax

28  credit. An insurance company claiming a credit against premium

29  tax liability under this program shall not be required to pay

30  any additional retaliatory tax levied pursuant to s. 624.5091

31  as a result of claiming such credit. Because credits under

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 2588
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  1  this section are available to an insurance company, s.

  2  624.5091 does not limit such credit in any manner.

  3         (3)  Prior to receiving tax credits for which it has

  4  been certified pursuant to this section, a qualifying business

  5  must achieve and maintain the employment target specified in

  6  its application for certification, but not less than 100

  7  additional employees, minimum employment goals beginning with

  8  the commencement of operations at a qualifying project and

  9  continuing each year thereafter during which tax credits are

10  available pursuant to this section.

11         (4)  The office, upon application by the business and

12  evaluation and recommendation a recommendation by Enterprise

13  Florida, Inc., may shall first certify a business as eligible

14  to receive tax credits pursuant to this section prior to the

15  business's final decision on and beginning investment in

16  commencement of operations of a qualifying project, and such

17  certification shall be transmitted to the Department of

18  Revenue. Upon receipt of the certification, the Department of

19  Revenue shall enter into a written agreement with the

20  qualifying business specifying, at a minimum, the method by

21  which income generated by or arising out of the qualifying

22  project will be determined.

23         (5)  The office, in consultation with Enterprise

24  Florida, Inc., is authorized to develop the necessary

25  guidelines and application materials for the certification

26  process described in subsection (4). The guidelines at a

27  minimum shall consider the number of jobs the project will

28  create, the wages paid by those jobs, the location of the

29  project and conditions in the area, the anticipated benefits

30  of the project, and the role the credit is expected to play in

31  the business's investment decision.

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 2588
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  1         Section 2.  Section 288.1088, Florida Statutes, is

  2  amended to read:

  3         288.1088  Quick Action Closing Fund.--

  4         (1)(a)  The Legislature finds that attracting,

  5  retaining, and providing favorable conditions for the growth

  6  of certain target industries provides high-quality employment

  7  opportunities for residents of this state and enhances the

  8  economic foundations of the state high-impact business

  9  facilities provides widespread economic benefits to the public

10  through high-quality employment opportunities in such

11  facilities and in related facilities attracted to the state,

12  through the increased tax base provided by the high-impact

13  facility and businesses in related sectors, through an

14  enhanced entrepreneurial climate in the state and the

15  resulting business and employment opportunities, and through

16  the stimulation and enhancement of the state's universities

17  and community colleges. In the global economy, there exists

18  serious and fierce international competition for these

19  facilities, and in most instances, when all available

20  resources for economic development have been used, the state

21  continues to encounter severe competitive disadvantages in

22  vying for these high-impact business facilities.

23         (b)  The Legislature therefore declares that sufficient

24  resources shall be available to respond to extraordinary

25  economic opportunities, and to compete effectively for these

26  high-value-added employment opportunities, and to enhance the

27  state's economic base by providing incentives to qualifying

28  businesses that require inducement beyond that available

29  through other sources to invest, grow, and create new

30  high-wage employment opportunities in this state and its

31  communities high-impact business facilities.

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 2588
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  1         (2)  There is created within the Office of Tourism,

  2  Trade, and Economic Development the Quick Action Closing Fund,

  3  also known as the 21st Century Fund.

  4         (3)(a)  Enterprise Florida, Inc., shall evaluate

  5  individual proposals for target-industry businesses

  6  high-impact business facilities and forward recommendations

  7  regarding the use of moneys in the fund for such facilities to

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

  9  Development. Such evaluation and recommendation must include,

10  but need not be limited to:

11         1.  A description of the type of facility, its business

12  operation, and the product or service associated with the

13  facility.

14         2.  The number of full-time-equivalent jobs that will

15  be created by the facility and the total estimated average

16  annual wages of those jobs.

17         3.  The cumulative amount of investment to be dedicated

18  to the facility within a specified period.

19         4.  A statement of any special impacts the facility is

20  expected to stimulate in a particular business sector in the

21  state or regional economy, or in the state's universities and

22  community colleges, or in a distressed Florida community.

23         5.  A statement of the role the incentive is expected

24  to play in the decision of the applicant business to locate or

25  expand in this state, an analysis of all other state and local

26  incentives that have been offered in this state, and an

27  analysis of the conditions and incentives offered by other

28  states and their communities.

29         (b)  Upon receipt of the evaluation and recommendation

30  from Enterprise Florida, Inc., the director shall recommend

31  approval or disapproval of a project for receipt of funds from

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 2588
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  1  the Quick Action Closing Fund to the Governor. In recommending

  2  a target-industry business for this incentive high-impact

  3  business facility, the director shall include proposed

  4  performance conditions that the business facility must meet to

  5  obtain incentive funds. The Governor shall consult with the

  6  President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of

  7  Representatives before giving final approval for a project.

  8  The Executive Office of the Governor shall recommend approval

  9  of a project and release of funds pursuant to the legislative

10  consultation and review requirements set forth in s. 216.177.

11  The recommendation must include proposed performance

12  conditions the project must meet to obtain funds.

13         (c)  If Upon the approval of the Governor approves a

14  project for receipt of funds, the director of the Office of

15  Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development and the high-impact

16  business shall enter into a contract that sets forth the

17  conditions for payment of moneys from the fund. The contract

18  must include the total amount of funds awarded; the

19  performance conditions that must be met to obtain the award,

20  including, but not limited to, net new employment in the

21  state, average salary, and total capital investment; the

22  methodology for validating performance; the schedule of

23  payments from the fund; and sanctions for failure to meet

24  performance conditions.

25         (d)  At the beginning of each fiscal year, 25 percent

26  of the funds appropriated for this program for the fiscal year

27  shall be released to the Office of Tourism, Trade, and

28  Economic Development. The Governor may not approve requests

29  from the fund, nor may the office execute contracts under this

30  section for funds in excess of the amount released. To obtain

31  the release of additional moneys from the appropriation for

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 2588
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  1  this section, the Governor must consult with the President of

  2  the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and

  3  report the names of any businesses approved and the number of

  4  new jobs created, the reasons for approving the incentive, and

  5  the performance standards and sanctions applied to the

  6  business. The Executive Office of the Governor shall request

  7  the release of such additional funds pursuant to the

  8  legislative consultation and review requirements in s.

  9  216.177.

10         (e)(d)  Enterprise Florida, Inc., shall validate

11  contractor performance. Such validation shall be reported

12  within 6 months after completion of the contract to the

13  Governor, President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the

14  House of Representatives.

15         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

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18                          SENATE SUMMARY

19    Revises provisions related to economic development.
      Provides limitations of the application of the capital
20    investment tax credit and revises certain application
      procedures for such credits. Revises procedures for the
21    award of funds to certain target industries from the
      Quick Action Closing Fund. (See bill for details.)
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