HB 1611 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Greater Seminole Area Special
3	Recreation District, Pinellas County; providing for
4	codification of special laws relating to the district;
5	providing legislative intent; codifying, reenacting, and
6	amending chapters 80-584, 84-515, 84-516, 86-445, 88-445,
7	Laws of Florida; describing district boundaries; providing
8	for the district commissioners, their appointment and
9	powers; repealing chapters 80-584, 84-515, 84-516, 86-445,
10	88-445, Laws of Florida; providing for liberal
11	construction; providing for severability; providing an
12	effective date.
13
14	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16	Section 1. Pursuant to section 189.429, Florida Statutes,
17	this act constitutes the codification of all special acts
18	relating to the Greater Seminole Area Special Recreation
19	District, an independent special district and public corporation
20	of the state. It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting
21	this law to provide a single, comprehensive special act charter
22	for the district, including all current legislative authority
23	granted to the district by its several enactments and any
24	additional authority granted by this act.
25	Section 2. Chapters 80-584, 84-515, 84-516, 86-445, and
26	88-445, Laws of Florida, are codified, reenacted, amended, and
27	repealed as provided in this act.
28	Section 3. The Greater Seminole Area Special Recreation
29	District is re-created, and the charter for the district is re-
30	created and reenacted to read:
31	Section 1. All of the lands hereinafter described shall be
32	part of an independent special recreational district, a public
33	corporation, having the powers and duties herein set forth under
34	the name of Greater Seminole Area Special Recreation District.
35	The land so to be incorporated being described as follows:
36
37	All lands and territory lying within the boundaries as set forth
38	below:
39
40	From a point at the intersection of the center lines of County
41	Road 595A, a/k/a 113th Street N. and Duhme Road, and Florida
42	694, a/k/a Walsingham Road, as a POB (point of beginning); run
43	westerly along said center line of Florida 694, a/k/a Walsingham
44	Road, to the center line of Boca Ciega Bay; thence run south and
45	southeasterly along a said center line of Boca Ciega Bay to a
46	point where, if extended, the center line of 54th Avenue N.
47	would intersect with the center line of Boca Ciega Bay; thence
48	run easterly to a point where, if extended, the center line of
49	54th Avenue N. would intersect with the center line of Long
50	Bayou; thence run northwesterly and north along the center line
51	of Long Bayou and Lake Seminole to a point where, if extended,
52	the center line of 122nd Avenue North would intersect with the
53	center line of Lake Seminole; thence westerly along the center
54	line of 122nd Avenue North until its intersection with the
55	center line of County Road 595A, a/k/a 113th Street North and
56	Duhme Road; thence southerly along the center line of County
57	Road 595A, a/k/a 113th Street North and Duhme Road, to the POB
58	or the point where the center line of the County Road 595A,
59	a/k/a 113th Street North and Duhme Road, intersects with the
60	center line of Florida 694, a/k/a Walsingham Road, all in
61	Pinellas County, Florida. However, any portion of the current
62	boundaries of the City of Largo are excluded.
63	Section 2. The business and affairs of the district shall
64	be conducted and administered by a board of seven commissioners
65	who, upon their qualification, shall serve for a period of 4
66	years.
67	Section 3. Such seven commissioners shall serve for terms
68	of 4 years each and shall be appointed as follows: five
69	commissioners shall be appointed by the Board of County
70	Commissioners of Pinellas County, two in 1988 and three in 1990
71	and every 4 years subsequent thereto, and two commissioners
72	shall be appointed by the City Council of the City of Seminole,
73	one in 1988 and one in 1990 and every 4 years subsequent
74	thereto. Any commissioner may be appointed to succeed himself
75	or herself. All commissioners shall be registered voters
76	residing within the district and shall have resided within the
77	district for at least 1 year prior to appointment. If any
78	commissioner shall cease to reside anywhere within the district
79	or fails to attend at least 50 percent of the duly called
80	commissioners meetings in any one fiscal year, his or her office
81	shall be declared vacant and he or she shall be disqualified
82	from further service. The appropriate appointing entity shall
83	within 60 days of such vacancy appoint a successor to fill any
84	unexpired term in the office of any commissioner.
85	Section 4. The district, by and through its commissioners,
86	may enter into a management contract with any association or
87	organization whose programs are intended to serve the
88	recreational needs of the residents of the district.
89	Section 5. Pursuant to referendum approval by the voters
90	of the district, the district had the right, power and authority
91	to levy ad valorem taxes not to exceed one-half mill against the
92	taxable real estate situated in the district. Such levy was for
93	3 years only. Property taxes determined and levied under this
94	section were certified to the County Property Appraiser and
95	extended, assessed, and collected in like manner as provided by
96	law for regular property taxes for the county and
97	municipalities. The proceeds under this section were remitted by
98	the County Tax Collector to the Board of Commissioners of the
99	district for use in accomplishing the purposes of this act.
100	Section 6. The district may acquire, hold title to, divest
101	itself of, and lease real and personal property within, adjacent
102	to, or contiguous to the district.
103	Section 7. The funds derived from the tax provided in this
104	act were used for the purchase of that parcel of real property
105	owned by the Board of Public Instruction of Pinellas County,
106	Florida, and leased by the Seminole Youth Athletic Association
107	or its successor and further described as Parcel No. 606,
108	Pinellas Farms, located in the south 1/2, 21-30-15, Pinellas
109	County, Florida, and further described as follows:
110
111	The South 1/2 of the northeast 1/4 of southwest 1/4 of Section
112	21, Township 30 South, Range 15 East, less the east sixty (60)
113	feet thereof conveyed to Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad Company
114	for railroad right-of-way, Pinellas County, Florida.
115	Section 8. The proceeds of the tax and the funds of the
116	district shall be deposited in the name of the district in a
117	bank authorized to receive deposits of county funds, which bank
118	shall be designated by a resolution of the board of
119	commissioners. The designation of the bank and deposit of funds
120	therein shall be by the exercise of due care and diligence on
121	the part of the board of commissioners for the safekeeping of
122	funds. Funds of the district may be disbursed only by check.
123	The board of commissioners, as mentioned in this act, shall not
124	have any power and authority to borrow money for the purposes of
125	the district.
126	Section 9. All funds derived from the tax described herein
127	shall be used solely for the purchase of that parcel of real
128	estate described in Section 7, including any legal or other
129	expenses incident thereto. Surplus funds after the purchase of
130	such parcel of land may not be used for any purposes other than
131	the administration of the affairs and business of the district,
132	including the construction, care, maintenance, upkeep and
133	operation of any recreational land and facilities as the board
134	may determine to be in the best interest of the district. The
135	Board of Commissioners shall not influence the finances of any
136	existing recreational organization or association.
137	Section 10. The board shall handle duties usually
138	pertaining to, vested in, and encumbered upon like officers. A
139	record shall be kept of all meetings of the board, and in such
140	meetings the concurrence of a majority of the board members
141	shall be necessary to any affirmative action by the board. The
142	board may adopt such rules and regulations as it may deem
143	necessary in and about the transaction of its business and in
144	carrying out the provisions of this act.
145	Section 11. The special recreation district shall exist
146	until dissolved by law.
147	Section 12. The word "district" means the special
148	recreation district hereby organized, and the words "board" and
149	"board of commissioners" mean the board of commissioners of and
150	for the special recreation district hereby created, when used in
151	this act, unless otherwise specified.
152	Section 13. The provisions of this act shall be liberally
153	construed to effect the business of this act.
154	Section 4. Chapters 80-584, 84-515, 84-516, 86-445, and
155	88-445, Laws of Florida, are repealed.
156	Section 5. This act shall be construed as remedial and
157	shall be liberally construed to promote the purpose for which it
158	is intended.
159	Section 6. If any provision of this act or its application
160	to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity
161	does not affect other provisions or applications of the act
162	which can be given effect without the invalid provision or
163	application, and to this end the provisions of this act are
164	declared severable.
165	Section 7. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.