Senate Bill sb2406

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2406

    By Senator Bennett





    21-1784A-04                                        See HB 1279

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to an additional sales surtax

  3         levy for school purposes; amending s. 212.055,

  4         F.S.; authorizing school districts to levy an

  5         additional sales surtax by resolution for

  6         certain purposes; specifies resolution

  7         requirements; requiring referendum approval;

  8         specifying a rate; requiring public hearings;

  9         specifying notice requirements; providing

10         referendum requirements; requiring a plan for

11         capital outlay projects or any operations

12         purposes funded by the surtax; specifying plan

13         requirements; providing for pledging surtax

14         revenues for revenue bonds; prohibiting school

15         or educational facilities impact fees;

16         requiring repeal of such fees under certain

17         circumstances; providing that certain funds to

18         be received by certain school boards for

19         certain purposes be placed in reserve by the

20         Executive Office of the Governor until certain

21         conditions by the Commissioner of Education for

22         release of funds are met; specifying certain

23         conditions; amending s. 125.01, F.S.;

24         prohibiting certain counties from levying any

25         impact fee for school purposes; amending s.

26         212.054, F.S., to conform; providing an

27         effective date.

28  

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

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2406
    21-1784A-04                                        See HB 1279




 1         Section 1.  Subsection (8) is added to section 212.055,

 2  Florida Statutes, to read:

 3         212.055  Discretionary sales surtaxes; legislative

 4  intent; authorization and use of proceeds.--It is the

 5  legislative intent that any authorization for imposition of a

 6  discretionary sales surtax shall be published in the Florida

 7  Statutes as a subsection of this section, irrespective of the

 8  duration of the levy. Each enactment shall specify the types

 9  of counties authorized to levy; the rate or rates which may be

10  imposed; the maximum length of time the surtax may be imposed,

11  if any; the procedure which must be followed to secure voter

12  approval, if required; the purpose for which the proceeds may

13  be expended; and such other requirements as the Legislature

14  may provide. Taxable transactions and administrative

15  procedures shall be as provided in s. 212.054.

16         (8)  DISTRICT SCHOOL CAPITAL OUTLAY AND OPERATIONS

17  SURTAX.--

18         (a)  In addition to any other surtax levied pursuant to

19  this section, the school board in each county may levy,

20  pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority vote of the

21  school board and conditioned to take effect only upon approval

22  by a majority vote of the electors of the county voting in a

23  referendum, a discretionary sales surtax at a rate not to

24  exceed 1 percent. The resolution shall specify the term and

25  proposed uses of the surtax. Proceeds of the surtax may be

26  used solely for school capital outlay or any operating

27  purposes.

28         (b)  Before adopting a resolution imposing the surtax

29  authorized by this subsection, the school board shall conduct

30  a public hearing in each municipality in the county to discuss

31  the proposed resolution and the term, projects, and uses

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2406
    21-1784A-04                                        See HB 1279




 1  specified in the resolution. Such public hearings shall be

 2  conducted in accordance with the meeting and notice

 3  requirements of s. 200.065 but addressing the sales surtax

 4  instead of ad valorem millage and specifying application to

 5  any operating purposes. For purposes of the notice under s.

 6  200.065 for the sales surtax, references in the notice to uses

 7  of tax proceeds for operations shall not be limited to

 8  maintenance operations but shall include any operating

 9  purposes proposed by the school board to be funded by surtax

10  proceeds.

11         (c)  A statement that includes a brief and general

12  description of the purposes to be funded by the surtax and

13  that conforms to the requirements of s. 101.161 shall be

14  placed on the ballot by the governing body of the county. The

15  following questions shall be placed on the ballot:

16                     FOR THE. . . .CENTS TAX

17                   AGAINST THE. . . .CENTS TAX

18         (d)  If the resolution providing for the imposition of

19  the surtax proposes to use any proceeds of the surtax for

20  school capital outlay, the resolution shall set forth a plan

21  for use of the surtax proceeds for fixed capital expenditures

22  or fixed capital costs associated with the construction,

23  reconstruction, or improvement of specific educational

24  facilities which have a useful life expectancy of 5 or more

25  years, and any land acquisition, land improvement, design, and

26  engineering costs related thereto. The plan shall contain an

27  implementation schedule for construction of the specific

28  school facilities described in the plan. If the resolution

29  providing for imposition of the surtax proposes to use any

30  surtax proceeds for any operating purposes, the plan shall

31  also specify the proposed allocations of surtax proceeds for

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2406
    21-1784A-04                                        See HB 1279




 1  such operating purposes. A school district that receives

 2  proceeds under this subsection may pledge the proceeds for the

 3  purpose of servicing new bond indebtedness incurred pursuant

 4  to law. A school district may use the services of the Division

 5  of Bond Finance pursuant to the State Bond Act to issue any

 6  bonds through the provisions of this subsection.

 7         (e)  Pursuant to s. 212.054(4), the proceeds of the

 8  surtax levied under this subsection shall be distributed to

 9  the school district of the county in which the surtax was

10  collected.

11         (f)  Any school board levying the surtax authorized by

12  this subsection may not impose any school or educational

13  facilities impact fee and, prior to levying the surtax, shall

14  repeal any existing school or educational facilities impact

15  fee imposed by the board.

16         Section 2.  Any funds to be received pursuant to

17  section 212.055(8), Florida Statutes, by a school district in

18  a county as defined in section 125.011(1), Florida Statutes,

19  with a population greater than 2 million, shall be placed in

20  reserve by the Executive Office of the Governor until the

21  Commissioner of Education certifies that conditions for

22  release of funds have been met. These conditions shall include

23  a recommendation for release of funds received from the Land

24  Acquisition and Facilities Maintenance Operations Advisory

25  Board appointed by the Governor and the Legislature. Any

26  recommendation from the advisory board for the release of

27  funds shall include certification that policies established,

28  procedures followed, and expenditures made by such school

29  board related to site acquisition and facilities planning,

30  construction, and facilities maintenance operations are

31  consistent with recommendations of the Land Acquisition and

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2406
    21-1784A-04                                        See HB 1279




 1  Facilities Maintenance Operations Advisory Board and will

 2  accomplish corrective action recommended by the Auditor

 3  General and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and

 4  Government Accountability.

 5         Section 3.  Subsection (8) is added to section 125.01,

 6  Florida Statutes, to read:

 7         125.01  Powers and duties.--

 8         (8)  Any county in which the school board is levying

 9  the local option sales surtax pursuant to s. 212.055(8) is

10  prohibited from levying any impact fee for school purposes.

11         Section 4.  Subsection (7) of section 212.054, Florida

12  Statutes, is amended to read:

13         212.054  Discretionary sales surtax; limitations,

14  administration, and collection.--

15         (7)(a)  The governing body of any county levying a

16  discretionary sales surtax or the school board of any county

17  levying the school capital outlay surtax authorized by s.

18  212.055(6) or (8) shall notify the department within 10 days

19  after final adoption by ordinance, resolution, or referendum

20  of an imposition, termination, or rate change of the surtax,

21  but no later than November 16 prior to the effective

22  date.  The notice must specify the time period during which

23  the surtax will be in effect and the rate and must include a

24  copy of the ordinance or resolution and such other information

25  as the department requires by rule. Failure to timely provide

26  such notification to the department shall result in the delay

27  of the effective date for a period of 1 year.

28         (b)  In addition to the notification required by

29  paragraph (a), the governing body of any county proposing to

30  levy a discretionary sales surtax or the school board of any

31  county proposing to levy the school capital outlay surtax

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2406
    21-1784A-04                                        See HB 1279




 1  authorized by s. 212.055(6) or (8) shall notify the department

 2  by October 1 if the referendum or consideration of the

 3  ordinance or resolution that would result in imposition,

 4  termination, or rate change of the surtax is scheduled to

 5  occur on or after October 1 of that year.  Failure to timely

 6  provide such notification to the department shall result in

 7  the delay of the effective date for a period of 1 year.

 8         Section 5.  This act shall take effect October 1, 2004.

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