House Bill hb0635e1

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                                        CS/HB 635, First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to tourism industry recovery;

  3         providing a short title; amending s. 125.0104,

  4         F.S.; providing that the additional tax

  5         authorized for bonds for a professional sports

  6         franchise facility, a retained spring training

  7         franchise facility, or a convention center, and

  8         for operation and maintenance costs of a

  9         convention center, and the additional tax

10         authorized for bonds for facilities for a new

11         professional sports franchise or a retained

12         spring training franchise, may also be used to

13         promote and advertise tourism; amending s.

14         125.35, F.S.; authorizing boards of county

15         commissioners to lease without a competitive

16         process certain property; providing an

17         effective date.

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

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21         Section 1.  This act may be cited as the "Tourism

22  Industry Recovery Act of 2002."

23         Section 2.  Paragraphs (l) and (n) of subsection (3) of

24  section 125.0104, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

25         125.0104  Tourist development tax; procedure for

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

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

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

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

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

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                                        CS/HB 635, First Engrossed



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

  2  board of the county in order to:

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

  4  construction, reconstruction, or renovation of a professional

  5  sports franchise facility, or the acquisition, construction,

  6  reconstruction, or renovation of a retained spring training

  7  franchise facility, either publicly owned and operated, or

  8  publicly owned and operated by the owner of a professional

  9  sports franchise or other lessee with sufficient expertise or

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

11  planning and design costs incurred prior to the issuance of

12  such bonds.

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

14  construction, reconstruction, or renovation of a convention

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

16  prior to the issuance of such bonds.

17         3.  Pay the operation and maintenance costs of a

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

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

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

21  enumerated in this subparagraph. Any county that elects to

22  levy the tax for the purposes authorized in subparagraph 2.

23  after July 1, 2000, may use the proceeds of the tax to pay the

24  operation and maintenance costs of a convention center for the

25  life of the bonds.

26         4.  Promote and advertise tourism in the State of

27  Florida and nationally and internationally; however, if tax

28  revenues are expended for an activity, service, venue, or

29  event, the activity, service, venue, or event shall have as

30  one of its main purposes the attraction of tourists as

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                                        CS/HB 635, First Engrossed



  1  evidenced by the promotion of the activity, service, venue, or

  2  event to tourists.

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

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

  6  212.0305 from levying more than the 2-percent tax authorized

  7  by this section, and the provisions of paragraphs (4)(a)-(d),

  8  shall not apply to the additional tax authorized in this

  9  paragraph. The effective date of the levy and imposition of

10  the tax authorized under this paragraph shall be the first day

11  of the second month following approval of the ordinance by the

12  governing board or the first day of any subsequent month as

13  may be specified in the ordinance.  A certified copy of such

14  ordinance shall be furnished by the county to the Department

15  of Revenue within 10 days after approval of such ordinance.

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

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

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

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

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

21  the board of county commissioners in order to:

22         1.  Pay the debt service on bonds issued to finance:

23         a.1.  The construction, reconstruction, or renovation

24  of a facility either publicly owned and operated, or publicly

25  owned and operated by the owner of a professional sports

26  franchise or other lessee with sufficient expertise or

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

28  planning and design costs incurred prior to the issuance of

29  such bonds for a new professional sports franchise as defined

30  in s. 288.1162.

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                                        CS/HB 635, First Engrossed



  1         b.2.  The acquisition, construction, reconstruction, or

  2  renovation of a facility either publicly owned and operated,

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

  4  sports franchise or other lessee with sufficient expertise or

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

  6  planning and design costs incurred prior to the issuance of

  7  such bonds for a retained spring training franchise.

  8         2.  Promote and advertise tourism in the State of

  9  Florida and nationally and internationally; however, if tax

10  revenues are expended for an activity, service, venue, or

11  event, the activity, service, venue, or event shall have as

12  one of its main purposes the attraction of tourists as

13  evidenced by the promotion of the activity, service, venue, or

14  event to tourists.

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

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

18  construction, reconstruction, or renovation of a that facility

19  for which tax revenues are used pursuant to subparagraph 1.

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

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

22  212.0305 from levying more than the 2-percent tax authorized

23  by this section shall not apply to the additional tax

24  authorized by this paragraph in counties which levy convention

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

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

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

28  and imposition of the tax authorized under this paragraph is

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

30  ordinance by the board of county commissioners or the first

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


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                                        CS/HB 635, First Engrossed



  1  certified copy of such ordinance shall be furnished by the

  2  county to the Department of Revenue within 10 days after

  3  approval of the ordinance.

  4         Section 3.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section

  5  125.35, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

  6         125.35  County authorized to sell real and personal

  7  property and to lease real property.--

  8         (1)(a)  The board of county commissioners is expressly

  9  authorized to sell and convey any real or personal property,

10  and to lease real property, belonging to the county, whenever

11  the board determines that it is to the best interest of the

12  county to do so, to the highest and best bidder for the

13  particular use the board deems to be the highest and best, for

14  such length of term and such conditions as the governing body

15  may in its discretion determine.

16         (b)  Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a),

17  the board of county commissioners is expressly authorized to:

18         1.  Negotiate the lease of an airport or seaport

19  facility;

20         2.  Modify or extend an existing lease of real property

21  for an additional term not to exceed 25 years, where the

22  improved value of the lease has an appraised value in excess

23  of $20 million; or

24         3.  Lease a professional sports franchise facility

25  financed by revenues received pursuant to s. 125.0104 or s.

26  212.20; or

27         4.  Convert existing development rights held by a

28  private entity to a lease hold interest on any parcel of real

29  property of 5 acres or less;

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31  under such terms and conditions as negotiated by the board.


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                                        CS/HB 635, First Engrossed



  1         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.

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