HB 0423, Engrossed 1 2003
   
1 A bill to be entitled
2          An act relating to the City of Pensacola; amending ch. 72-
3    655, Laws of Florida; revising provisions relating to
4    referendum elections for levy of ad valorem property tax
5    for the Pensacola downtown area; amending downtown area
6    boundaries; providing for abolishment of the Pensacola
7    downtown improvement board; providing for eligibility of
8    electors; deleting provisions relating to registration of
9    electors; providing for election procedures and results;
10    removing provisions relating to notification, additional
11    registration, voting, and passage of and failure to
12    approve the act; providing for an abolishment referendum;
13    providing for transmittal of referendum results; providing
14    for continued function; providing an effective date.
15         
16          Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17         
18          Section 1. Section 13 of chapter 72-655, Laws of Florida,
19    is amended to read:
20          Section 13. Referendum.--The power of the board to call
21    for a referendum election for the levy of an ad valorem tax in
22    addition to the one (1) mill tax previously authorized pursuant
23    to section 9 of this act, any changes of boundaries of the
24    downtown area, and any abolishment of the Pensacola downtown
25    improvement board shall be determined by referendum elections in
26    accordance with the provisions of this section as follows:No
27    powers shall be exercised by the board, nor shall any special
28    taxing district be established, until such time as the qualified
29    electors in the downtown area approve of this act in accordance
30    with the referendum provisions provided as follows:
31          (1) ELECTION SUPERVISOR.-- For the purposes of this
32    section,referendumthe city clerk shall act as election
33    supervisor and do all things necessary to carry out the
34    provisions of this section.
35          (2) ELECTORS.--Any elector who is the owner of a freehold
36    not wholly exempt from taxation within the downtown area
37    established pursuant to section 4 of this act shall be eligible
38    to vote in any referendum election provided for in this act.
39    The owner of such freeholds shall be determined by the city
40    clerk from the most recent real property assessment roll
41    prepared by the property appraiser pursuant to general law prior
42    to the scheduled referendum election. However, the grantee by
43    conveyance of a freehold in the downtown area subsequent to the
44    most recent real property assessment roll may present evidence
45    of such conveyance to the city clerk not later than 60 days
46    prior to the date of a referendum election, whereupon the clerk,
47    after verifying such conveyance, shall substitute the name of
48    the grantee as an elector in place of the owner appearing on the
49    real property assessment roll. No more than one (1) ballot per
50    freehold shall be cast in any referendum election.
51    REGISTRATION.--Within forty-five (45) days from the date the
52    city adopts the ordinance defining the downtown area, the clerk
53    shall compile a list of the names and last known addresses of
54    the qualified electors in the downtown area from the tax
55    assessment roll of the City of Pensacola applicable as of
56    December 31 in the year immediately preceding the year in which
57    the aforesaid ordinance was adopted and the same shall
58    constitute the registration list for the purposes of the
59    electors' referendum hereinunder except as hereinafter provided.
60          (3) ELECTION PROCEDURES AND RESULTS.--The board shall
61    determine by rule procedures for notice of referendum elections,
62    the time and duration of the referendum and balloting periods,
63    and the form of the ballots. The outcome of any referendum
64    shall be determined by the majority of votes cast by eligible
65    electors casting mail ballots delivered by the board to
66    electors. The city clerk shall determine and certify the
67    results of the referendum to the city council.
68    NOTIFICATION.--Within the time period specified in subsection
69    (2), the clerk shall notify each qualified elector of the
70    general provisions of this act, including the taxing authority
71    and powers of eminent domain, the dates of the upcoming
72    referendum.
73          Notification hereinunder shall be by certified United States
74    mail and in addition thereto by publication one (1) time in a
75    newspaper of general circulation in Escambia County within the
76    time period provided in subsection (2).
77          (4) ADDITIONAL REGISTRATION.-- Any qualified elector whose
78    name does not appear on the tax rolls may register with the city
79    clerk at the city hall, Pensacola, or by mail in accordance with
80    regulations promulgated by the clerk. The registration books
81    shall remain open until seventy-five (75) days after the passage
82    of the ordinance defining the downtown area by the city council.
83          (5) VOTING.--
84          (a) Within fifteen (15) days after the closing of the
85    registration list, the clerk shall send a ballot to each
86    qualified elector at his last known mailing address by certified
87    United States mail. The ballot shall include a description of
88    the general provisions of this act. Ballots shall be returned to
89    the city clerk by United States mail or personal delivery at
90    city hall.
91          (b) All ballots received by the clerk within one hundred
92    twenty (120) days after the passage of the ordinance defining
93    the downtown area shall be tabulated by the clerk who shall
94    certify the results thereof to the city council no later than
95    five (5) days after the one hundred twenty (120) day period.
96          (c) Any person voting on behalf of himself or any
97    corporation, trust, partnership, or estate, who has knowledge
98    that he is not a qualified elector as defined by this act, is
99    guilty of perjury and shall be prosecuted and, upon conviction,
100    punished in accordance with the provisions of the laws of this
101    state.
102          (6) PASSAGE OF THE ACT.--The qualified electors shall be
103    deemed to have approved of the provisions of this act at such
104    time as the clerk certifies to the city council that approval
105    has been given by the qualified electors representing in excess
106    of fifty percent (50%) of the assessed value of the property
107    within the downtown area.
108          (7) FAILURE TO APPROVE ACT.--Should the electors fail to
109    approve of the provisions of this act as provided herein, the
110    city may call one (1) additional referendum by resolution to the
111    city council at any time after one (1) year from the
112    certification of the results of the previous referendum by the
113    clerk. The additional referendum shall be held in accordance
114    with the provisions of this section, except that all time
115    periods will be computed from the date of the resolution calling
116    for the referendum and not from the passage of the ordinance
117    defining the downtown area. Should the electors fail to
118    initially approve this act as provided herein after two (2) such
119    referenda, all provisions of this act shall be null and void,
120    and this act shall be repealed.
121          (4)(8)ADDITIONAL ELECTIONS FOR BOUNDARY
122    CHANGES.--Additional elections called after increasing or
123    decreasing the boundaries of the downtown area in accordance
124    with section 4 of this act shall be held in accordance with the
125    referendum provisions for initial approval of this act; provided
126    however, that no provision of this act shall require the
127    approval of electors in an area which has previously approved of
128    the provisions of this act by any referendum held hereinunder.
129          (5)(9)ABOLISHMENTREPEAL REFERENDUM.--A repeal referendum
130    election may be called by petition of electors representing at
131    least twenty percent (20%) of the electorsassessed value of the
132    property in the downtown area, for the purpose of ceasing the
133    activity of the district and seeking repeal of the act from the
134    Legislatureabolishing the board and repealing this act. Upon
135    receipt of such a petition for an abolishmenta repeal
136    referendum by the city clerk, a referendum election shall be
137    called by the city. The procedure shall be the same as provided
138    for other referendum elections provided for inthe initial
139    approval of this act, except that if an abolishment referendum
140    is defeated, then additional abolishmentrepealreferenda may be
141    petitioned at any time after one (1) year from the certification
142    of the results of a previous abolishmentrepealreferendum by
143    the clerk. The proposition shall be put on a ballot permitting
144    a vote for abolishmentrepealof the Pensacola downtown
145    improvement board or against abolishmentrepeal. If the
146    abolishment referendum is approved, then the city clerk shall
147    transmit the referendum results to the chair of the local
148    legislative delegation within 30 days of the certification of
149    the referendum results. Following certification of the
150    referendum results, the Pensacola downtown improvement board
151    shall continue to function until the act is repealed by the
152    Legislature.A vote for repeal of the board by the electors
153    representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total
154    qualified electors voting in the repeal referendum shall cause
155    immediate cessation of the Pensacola downtown improvement board
156    and shall constitute repeal of this act.
157          Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.