Senate Bill sb1646

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1646

    By Senators Holzendorf, Dawson and Meek





    2-1273A-01

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to economically distressed

  3         communities; amending s. 288.9015, F.S.;

  4         revising the responsibilities of Enterprise

  5         Florida, Inc., relating to rural and distressed

  6         urban communities; directing Enterprise

  7         Florida, Inc., to develop a plan for marketing

  8         programs and initiatives designed to enhance

  9         conditions in economically distressed

10         communities; specifying components of such

11         plan; requiring development of and reporting on

12         performance measures; requiring coordination

13         with agencies and organizations; directing

14         Enterprise Florida, Inc., to combine and

15         leverage the use of certain programs to benefit

16         economically distressed communities; providing

17         an effective date.

18

19         WHEREAS, there are many economically distressed

20  communities in the state, particularly urban core communities,

21  which have not experienced the economic prosperity enjoyed by

22  other communities in the state, and

23         WHEREAS, the state has created a number of programs,

24  designations, and initiatives designed to improve conditions

25  in economically distressed communities, including, but not

26  limited to, the Enterprise Zone Program, the Front Porch

27  Florida Initiative, and the Toolkit for Economic Development,

28  and

29         WHEREAS, these programs, designations, and initiatives

30  tend to operate in isolation and cannot alone effect

31

                                  1

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






    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1646
    2-1273A-01




  1  substantial improvement in urban core communities or other

  2  economically distressed communities, and

  3         WHEREAS, coordination among these programs,

  4  designations, and initiatives would enhance their

  5  effectiveness in addressing the problems in these communities,

  6  and

  7         WHEREAS, businesses that are expanding or relocating

  8  would be more willing to invest in these communities if these

  9  businesses were aware of the opportunities and advantages

10  available in such areas, and

11         WHEREAS, Enterprise Florida, Inc., as the principal

12  economic development organization for the state, is in regular

13  contact with existing, expanding, and relocating businesses

14  and is in a unique position to provide such businesses with

15  information on available sites and investment incentives in

16  the state, and

17         WHEREAS, Enterprise Florida, Inc., is in a unique

18  position to market urban core communities and other

19  economically distressed communities to expanding and

20  relocating businesses, and to help coordinate the various

21  programs, designations, and initiatives designed to encourage

22  greater business investment in such communities, NOW,

23  THEREFORE,

24

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

26

27         Section 1.  Subsection (2) of section 288.9015, Florida

28  Statutes, is amended to read:

29         288.9015  Enterprise Florida, Inc.; purpose; duties.--

30         (2)  It shall be the responsibility of Enterprise

31  Florida, Inc., to aggressively market Florida's economically

                                  2

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






    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1646
    2-1273A-01




  1  distressed rural communities and economically distressed urban

  2  communities as locations for potential new investment, to

  3  aggressively assist in the retention and expansion of existing

  4  businesses in these communities, and to aggressively assist

  5  these communities in the identification and development of new

  6  economic development opportunities for job creation.

  7         (a)  Enterprise Florida, Inc., shall develop a detailed

  8  plan for the coordinated marketing of and use of federal,

  9  state, and local programs designed to improve conditions in

10  economically distressed communities, including, but not

11  limited to, the Enterprise Zone Program under chapter 290, the

12  Front Porch Florida Initiative administered by the Office of

13  Urban Opportunity under s. 14.2015, and the Toolkit for

14  Economic Development created under chapter 2000-290, Laws of

15  Florida.

16         (b)  The plan must include both strategic and operating

17  components, including provisions for:

18         1.  Educating existing, expanding, and new and

19  relocating businesses about economically distressed

20  communities and specially designated areas, such as those

21  designated under the Enterprise Zone Program or Front Porch

22  Florida Initiative, as potential sites for investment;

23         2.  Informing such businesses about the availability of

24  incentives that are designed specifically to encourage

25  investment in such communities and specially designated areas;

26  and

27         3.  Using as fully as practicable general

28  economic-development incentives in such communities and

29  specially designated areas, such as the tax-refund program for

30  qualified target industry businesses under s. 288.106,

31  high-impact performance grants under s. 288.108, the Quick

                                  3

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






    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1646
    2-1273A-01




  1  Action Closing Fund under s. 288.1088, and contracts for

  2  transportation projects under s. 288.063.

  3         (c)  Enterprise Florida, Inc., shall develop measures

  4  to assess changes in the level of economic investment in

  5  economically distressed communities and in specially

  6  designated areas, such as enterprise zones and Front Porch

  7  Florida communities, and shall report data on performance

  8  related to the measures as part of the annual report required

  9  under s. 288.906. Enterprise Florida, Inc., may recommend

10  inclusion of the measures developed under this paragraph in

11  the Legislature's annual process under chapter 216 of

12  reviewing agency performance measures. In addition, Enterprise

13  Florida, Inc., may recommend to the Legislature a method for

14  weighting the measures developed under this paragraph as being

15  more important than other measures of the economic-development

16  organization's performance.

17         (d)  In carrying out the provisions of this subsection,

18  Enterprise Florida, Inc., shall consult and coordinate with

19  other agencies and organizations engaged in activities related

20  to economically distressed communities, including, but not

21  limited to:

22         1.  The Department of Community Affairs;

23         2.  The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

24  Development;

25         3.  The Office of Urban Opportunity;

26         4.  Workforce Florida, Inc.; and

27         5.  The Rural Economic Development Initiative.

28         (e)  Working with the organizations specified in

29  paragraph (d), Enterprise Florida, Inc., shall maximize

30  opportunities to combine and leverage economic-development

31

                                  4

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






    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1646
    2-1273A-01




  1  programs, designations, and initiatives in order to secure

  2  job-creating projects for economically distressed communities.

  3         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

  4

  5            *****************************************

  6                          SENATE SUMMARY

  7    Revises the duties of Enterprise Florida, Inc. Requires
      that Enterprise Florida, Inc., develop a plan for
  8    marketing incentives designed to encourage investment in
      economically distressed communities. Requires Enterprise
  9    Florida, Inc., to assess the changes in the level of
      economic investment. Requires that Enterprise Florida,
10    Inc., consult and coordinate with other agencies and
      organizations.
11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  5

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