Bill Text: ENROLLED HB 1611

ENROLLED HB 1611

2003 Legislature

A bill to be entitled

An act relating to the Greater Seminole Area Special

Recreation District, Pinellas County; providing for

codification of special laws relating to the district;

providing legislative intent; codifying, reenacting, and

amending chapters 80-584, 84-515, 84-516, 86-445, 88-445,

Laws of Florida; describing district boundaries; providing

for the district commissioners, their appointment and

powers; repealing chapters 80-584, 84-515, 84-516, 86-445,

88-445, Laws of Florida; providing for liberal

construction; providing for severability; providing an

effective date.

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

Section 1. Pursuant to section 189.429, Florida Statutes,

this act constitutes the codification of all special acts

relating to the Greater Seminole Area Special Recreation

District, an independent special district and public corporation

of the state. It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting

this law to provide a single, comprehensive special act charter

for the district, including all current legislative authority

granted to the district by its several enactments and any

additional authority granted by this act.

Section 2. Chapters 80-584, 84-515, 84-516, 86-445, and

88-445, Laws of Florida, are codified, reenacted, amended, and

repealed as provided in this act.

Section 3. The Greater Seminole Area Special Recreation

District is re-created, and the charter for the district is re-

created and reenacted to read:

Section 1. All of the lands hereinafter described shall be

part of an independent special recreational district, a public

corporation, having the powers and duties herein set forth under

the name of Greater Seminole Area Special Recreation District.

The land so to be incorporated being described as follows:

All lands and territory lying within the boundaries as set forth

below:

From a point at the intersection of the center lines of County

Road 595A, a/k/a 113th Street N. and Duhme Road, and Florida

694, a/k/a Walsingham Road, as a POB (point of beginning); run

westerly along said center line of Florida 694, a/k/a Walsingham

Road, to the center line of Boca Ciega Bay; thence run south and

southeasterly along a said center line of Boca Ciega Bay to a

point where, if extended, the center line of 54th Avenue N.

would intersect with the center line of Boca Ciega Bay; thence

run easterly to a point where, if extended, the center line of

54th Avenue N. would intersect with the center line of Long

Bayou; thence run northwesterly and north along the center line

of Long Bayou and Lake Seminole to a point where, if extended,

the center line of 122nd Avenue North would intersect with the

center line of Lake Seminole; thence westerly along the center

line of 122nd Avenue North until its intersection with the

center line of County Road 595A, a/k/a 113th Street North and

Duhme Road; thence southerly along the center line of County

Road 595A, a/k/a 113th Street North and Duhme Road, to the POB

or the point where the center line of the County Road 595A,

a/k/a 113th Street North and Duhme Road, intersects with the

center line of Florida 694, a/k/a Walsingham Road, all in

Pinellas County, Florida. However, any portion of the current

boundaries of the City of Largo are excluded.

Section 2. The business and affairs of the district shall

be conducted and administered by a board of seven commissioners

who, upon their qualification, shall serve for a period of 4

years.

Section 3. Such seven commissioners shall serve for terms

of 4 years each and shall be appointed as follows: five

commissioners shall be appointed by the Board of County

Commissioners of Pinellas County, two in 1988 and three in 1990

and every 4 years subsequent thereto, and two commissioners

shall be appointed by the City Council of the City of Seminole,

one in 1988 and one in 1990 and every 4 years subsequent

thereto. Any commissioner may be appointed to succeed himself

or herself. All commissioners shall be registered voters

residing within the district and shall have resided within the

district for at least 1 year prior to appointment. If any

commissioner shall cease to reside anywhere within the district

or fails to attend at least 50 percent of the duly called

commissioners meetings in any one fiscal year, his or her office

shall be declared vacant and he or she shall be disqualified

from further service. The appropriate appointing entity shall

within 60 days of such vacancy appoint a successor to fill any

unexpired term in the office of any commissioner.

Section 4. The district, by and through its commissioners,

may enter into a management contract with any association or

organization whose programs are intended to serve the

recreational needs of the residents of the district.

Section 5. Pursuant to referendum approval by the voters

of the district, the district had the right, power and authority

to levy ad valorem taxes not to exceed one-half mill against the

taxable real estate situated in the district. Such levy was for

3 years only. Property taxes determined and levied under this

section were certified to the County Property Appraiser and

extended, assessed, and collected in like manner as provided by

law for regular property taxes for the county and

municipalities. The proceeds under this section were remitted by

the County Tax Collector to the Board of Commissioners of the

district for use in accomplishing the purposes of this act.

100

Section 6. The district may acquire, hold title to, divest

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itself of, and lease real and personal property within, adjacent

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to, or contiguous to the district.

103

Section 7. The funds derived from the tax provided in this

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act were used for the purchase of that parcel of real property

105

owned by the Board of Public Instruction of Pinellas County,

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Florida, and leased by the Seminole Youth Athletic Association

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or its successor and further described as Parcel No. 606,

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Pinellas Farms, located in the south 1/2, 21-30-15, Pinellas

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County, Florida, and further described as follows:

110

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The South 1/2 of the northeast 1/4 of southwest 1/4 of Section

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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

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bank authorized to receive deposits of county funds, which bank

118

shall be designated by a resolution of the board of

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commissioners. The designation of the bank and deposit of funds

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therein shall be by the exercise of due care and diligence on

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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

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the district.

126

Section 9. All funds derived from the tax described herein

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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

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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

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board may adopt such rules and regulations as it may deem

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necessary in and about the transaction of its business and in

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carrying out the provisions of this act.

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Section 11. The special recreation district shall exist

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until dissolved by law.

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Section 12. The word "district" means the special

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recreation district hereby organized, and the words "board" and

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"board of commissioners" mean the board of commissioners of and

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for the special recreation district hereby created, when used in

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this act, unless otherwise specified.

152

Section 13. The provisions of this act shall be liberally

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construed to effect the business of this act.

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Section 4. Chapters 80-584, 84-515, 84-516, 86-445, and

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88-445, Laws of Florida, are repealed.

156

Section 5. This act shall be construed as remedial and

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shall be liberally construed to promote the purpose for which it

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is intended.

159

Section 6. If any provision of this act or its application

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to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity

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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

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declared severable.

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Section 7. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.