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| 1 | A bill to be entitled | ||
| 2 | An act relating to beach improvement; amending s. | ||
| 3 | 125.0104, F.S.; prohibiting use of moneys designated for | ||
| 4 | beach improvement, maintenance, renourishment, | ||
| 5 | restoration, or erosion control for other purposes; | ||
| 6 | providing an effective date. | ||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: | ||
| 9 | |||
| 10 | Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section | ||
| 11 | 125.0104, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: | ||
| 12 | 125.0104 Tourist development tax; procedure for levying; | ||
| 13 | authorized uses; referendum; enforcement.-- | ||
| 14 | (5) AUTHORIZED USES OF REVENUE.-- | ||
| 15 | (a) All tax revenues received pursuant to this section by | ||
| 16 | a county imposing the tourist development tax shall be used by | ||
| 17 | that county for the following purposes only: | ||
| 18 | 1. To acquire, construct, extend, enlarge, remodel, | ||
| 19 | repair, improve, maintain, operate, or promote one or more | ||
| 20 | publicly owned and operated convention centers, sports stadiums, | ||
| 21 | sports arenas, coliseums, or auditoriums, or museums that are | ||
| 22 | publicly owned and operated or owned and operated by not-for- | ||
| 23 | profit organizations and open to the public, within the | ||
| 24 | boundaries of the county or subcounty special taxing district in | ||
| 25 | which the tax is levied. Tax revenues received pursuant to this | ||
| 26 | section may also be used for promotion of zoological parks that | ||
| 27 | are publicly owned and operated or owned and operated by not- | ||
| 28 | for-profit organizations and open to the public. However, these | ||
| 29 | purposes may be implemented through service contracts and leases | ||
| 30 | with lessees with sufficient expertise or financial capability | ||
| 31 | to operate such facilities; | ||
| 32 | 2. To promote and advertise tourism in the State of | ||
| 33 | Florida and nationally and internationally; however, if tax | ||
| 34 | revenues are expended for an activity, service, venue, or event, | ||
| 35 | the activity, service, venue, or event shall have as one of its | ||
| 36 | main purposes the attraction of tourists as evidenced by the | ||
| 37 | promotion of the activity, service, venue, or event to tourists; | ||
| 38 | 3. To fund convention bureaus, tourist bureaus, tourist | ||
| 39 | information centers, and news bureaus as county agencies or by | ||
| 40 | contract with the chambers of commerce or similar associations | ||
| 41 | in the county, which may include any indirect administrative | ||
| 42 | costs for services performed by the county on behalf of the | ||
| 43 | promotion agency; or | ||
| 44 | 4. To finance beach park facilities or beach improvement, | ||
| 45 | maintenance, renourishment, restoration, and erosion control, | ||
| 46 | including shoreline protection, enhancement, cleanup, or | ||
| 47 | restoration of inland lakes and rivers to which there is public | ||
| 48 | access as those uses relate to the physical preservation of the | ||
| 49 | beach, shoreline, or inland lake or river; provided, however, | ||
| 50 | that any moneys designated by a county for beach improvement, | ||
| 51 | maintenance, renourishment, restoration, or erosion control | ||
| 52 | shall not be used or loaned for any other purpose. In counties | ||
| 53 | of less than 100,000 population, no more than 10 percent of the | ||
| 54 | revenues from the tourist development tax may be used for beach | ||
| 55 | park facilities. | ||
| 56 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. | ||