| 
                      
                        | ENROLLED HB 0431 | 2003 Legislature |  | 
                
                  |  |  | 
                1 | A bill to be entitled | 
                | 2 | An act relating to Monroe County; amending chapter 76-441, | 
              
                | 3 | Laws of Florida, as amended by chapter 87-454, Laws of | 
              
                | 4 | Florida; extending the period within which any person who | 
              
                | 5 | is 60 years of age  or older or a totally and permanently | 
              
                | 6 | disabled American veteran meeting low income standards may | 
              
                | 7 | apply for a special lower rate, fee, rental, or other | 
              
                | 8 | charge; providing an effective date. | 
              
                | 9 |  | 
              
                | 10 | WHEREAS, the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority is authorized | 
              
                | 11 | to provide a “senior citizens’ discount program” pursuant to | 
              
                | 12 | section 14 of chapter 76-441, Laws of Florida, as amended, and | 
              
                | 13 | currently takes applications therefore between January and March | 
              
                | 14 | and the FKAA desires to extend the application period for such | 
              
                | 15 | program throughout the entire year, NOW, THEREFORE, | 
              
                | 16 |  | 
              
                | 17 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: | 
              
                | 18 |  | 
              
                | 19 | Section 1.  Subsection (2) of section 14 of chapter 76-441, | 
              
                | 20 | Laws of Florida, as amended by chapter 87-454, Laws of Florida, | 
              
                | 21 | is amended to read: | 
              
                | 22 | Section 14.  Fees, rentals, and charges; procedure for | 
              
                | 23 | adoption and modification, minimum revenue requirements.-- | 
              
                | 24 | (2)  Such rates, fees, rentals, and charges shall be just | 
              
                | 25 | and equitable and, except as provided herein, uniform for users | 
              
                | 26 | of the same class and, where appropriate, may be based or | 
              
                | 27 | computed either upon the amount of service furnished or upon the | 
              
                | 28 | number or average number of persons working or residing or | 
              
                | 29 | working or otherwise occupying the premises served or upon any | 
              
                | 30 | other factor affecting the use of the facilities furnished, or | 
              
                | 31 | upon any combination of the foregoing factors as may be | 
              
                | 32 | determined by the board of directors on an equitable basis. The | 
              
                | 33 | Authority may prescribe, fix, and establish a special lower | 
              
                | 34 | rate, fee, rental, or other charge on the residential account of | 
              
                | 35 | any person who is 60 years of age or older or a totally and | 
              
                | 36 | permanently disabled American veteran on the date of | 
              
                | 37 | application, who meets the low income standards adopted by the | 
              
                | 38 | board and who applies for such special lower rate, fee, rental, | 
              
                | 39 | or other charge between the months of January and December | 
              
                | 40 | March, inclusive, of each year. As used in this section | 
              
                | 41 | "residential account" means an account for a person residing in | 
              
                | 42 | a house, mobile home, condominium, apartment, or other housing | 
              
                | 43 | unit. The application shall include the submission of an | 
              
                | 44 | affidavit stating that the applicant is 60 years of age or older | 
              
                | 45 | or a totally and permanently disabled American veteran. The | 
              
                | 46 | submission of the affidavit shall be prima facie evidence of the | 
              
                | 47 | applicant's age or disability. The application shall also | 
              
                | 48 | include the annual income of the applicant. The Authority may | 
              
                | 49 | waive, in whole or in part, any impact fees or charges for any | 
              
                | 50 | governmental entity; any charitable, educational, religious, or | 
              
                | 51 | similar organization exempt from taxation under the provisions | 
              
                | 52 | of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code; any person or entity exempt | 
              
                | 53 | from ad valorem property taxes under the laws of this state; or | 
              
                | 54 | housing defined as affordable by chapter 86-192, Laws of | 
              
                | 55 | Florida, or the rules adopted thereunder, the cost parameters of | 
              
                | 56 | which may be adjusted by the ratio of the Monroe County cost of | 
              
                | 57 | living index to the Florida average cost of living index. | 
              
                | 58 | Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |