Senate Bill sb3110er

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  2         An act relating to Hardee County; creating the

  3         Hardee County Economic Development Authority;

  4         providing a purpose; providing definitions;

  5         providing for composition and procedures;

  6         proving powers; providing for an office and

  7         staffing, including legal assistance and

  8         reimbursement to the county therefor; providing

  9         that the Chief Financial Officer transfer

10         certain funds levied as an excise tax upon the

11         severance of phosphate rock to the authority;

12         providing duties for the Clerk of the Circuit

13         Court; providing for grants, including

14         application, review, and awards; providing

15         severability; providing an effective date.

16  

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

18  

19         Section 1.  Creation.--

20         (1)  The Hardee County Economic Development Authority

21  is created in accordance with section 211.3103(3)(b)3.,

22  Florida Statutes, as amended from time to time, as a body

23  corporate. The powers granted by this act are declared to be

24  public and governmental functions exercised for public

25  purposes and are matters of public necessity.

26         (2)  The purpose of the authority is to solicit, rank,

27  and fund projects that provide economic development

28  opportunities and infrastructure within the geographic

29  boundaries of Hardee County and to otherwise maximize the use

30  of federal, local, and private resources as provided by

31  section 211.3103(5), Florida Statutes, as amended from time to


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 1  time, and for its administrative and other costs as further

 2  provided by this act.

 3         Section 2.  Definitions.--As used in this act, the

 4  term:

 5         (1)  "Authority" means the Hardee County Economic

 6  Development Authority.

 7         (2)  "Clerk" means the clerk of the court serving in

 8  the capacity of chief financial officer of the county.

 9         (3)  "Commission" means the Board of County

10  Commissioners of Hardee County.

11         (4)  "County" means Hardee County.

12         Section 3.  Authority composition; procedures.--

13         (1)  The authority shall consist of nine members

14  serving staggered terms and selected in the following manner:

15         (a)  The President of the Hardee County Farm Bureau or

16  the president's designee for an initial term of 3 years;

17         (b)  The Secretary of the Florida Department of

18  Community Affairs or its successor agency or the secretary's

19  designee for an initial term of 2 years;

20         (c)  The chairman of Enterprise Florida or its

21  successor agency or the chairman's designee for an initial

22  term of 2 years;

23         (d)  The chairman of the Florida Phosphate Council or

24  the chairman's designee for an initial term of 3 years;

25         (e)  The president of the Hardee County Chamber of

26  Commerce or the president's designee for an initial term of 3

27  years; and

28         (f)  Four members appointed by the commission. Two of

29  these shall be designated at-large, and of these one shall

30  serve an initial term of 3 years and one shall serve an

31  initial term of 2 years. One of the remaining commission


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 1  appointments shall be designated Seat 8 and the appointee

 2  shall be appointed for an initial term of 2 years; the last

 3  commission appointment shall be designated Seat 9 and the

 4  appointee shall be appointed for an initial term of 3 years.

 5  Persons appointed to Seat 8 and Seat 9 shall be selected from

 6  a pool of nominees consisting of two persons designated by the

 7  governing body of each municipality in the county. All members

 8  except the members designated under paragraphs (b) and (c)

 9  must be residents of the county. Initial terms of office begin

10  January 1, 2005.

11         (2)  After completion of the initial term, each

12  appointed member shall serve a term of 3 years. If a vacancy

13  occurs during the term of an appointed member, the appointing

14  authority shall fill the appointment for the remainder of the

15  term. A member may serve successive terms.

16         (3)  The members shall elect a chair from their number

17  for a period of 2 years and may elect such other officers as

18  they designate in the written bylaws of the authority. The

19  at-large member designated by the commission for an initial

20  3-year term shall serve as interim chair for the purpose of

21  calling the first meeting of the authority. A majority of the

22  members constitute a quorum. Each member is entitled to one

23  vote. An action of the authority is not binding unless it is

24  taken at a meeting at which a majority of the members cast

25  their votes in favor. The fiscal year of the authority begins

26  October 1.

27         (4)  Each member of the authority shall serve without

28  compensation, except that a member who resides outside the

29  county may be reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses as

30  provided by general law and as further provided by this act.

31  


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 1         Section 4.  Authority powers; mandatory and

 2  discretionary.--

 3         (1)  The authority shall:

 4         (a)  Adopt rules in conformance with chapter 120,

 5  Florida Statutes, the Administrative Procedure Act.

 6         (b)  Meet not less frequently than once each quarter,

 7  beginning with the first quarter of calendar year 2005, unless

 8  modified in advance at a regularly scheduled meeting of the

 9  authority, and hold public hearings and other meetings, each

10  of which must be open to the public and in accordance with

11  general law.

12         (c)  Establish procedures for the solicitation and

13  awarding of grants as further provided by this act and any

14  rules adopted by the authority.

15         (d)  Direct the clerk to expend funds upon receipt of

16  any voucher signed by not fewer than two members of the

17  authority as further provided by the bylaws of the authority.

18         (e)  Create by rule a standardized application form for

19  grants to be awarded by the authority as further provided by

20  this act.

21         (f)  Perform the duties required by this act and any

22  rules adopted in accordance with this act.

23         (2)  The authority may:

24         (a)  Appropriate funds that have been paid by the state

25  Chief Financial Officer, the first such payment to occur in

26  calendar year 2006, to the clerk, in the distribution of the

27  tax on severance of phosphate rock pursuant to section

28  211.3103, Florida Statutes, as amended from time to time, for

29  the administrative costs, including payroll costs and other

30  expenses as provided by this act, of the authority and for

31  


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 1  economic development and infrastructure projects in the

 2  county.

 3         (b)  Conduct the business of the authority and receive

 4  funds on its behalf, including those transferred by the state

 5  Chief Financial Officer and any others that may have been made

 6  by loan, gift, or grant.

 7         (c)  Sue and be sued.

 8         (d)  Approve or amend and approve time and costs sheets

 9  submitted by specified county employees for payment as well as

10  travel and per diem expenses submitted by a member of the

11  authority as further provided by this act.

12         (e)  Establish written bylaws for its internal

13  governance, including the signatures required for the

14  expenditure of funds from any of its authorized accounts.

15         (f)  Enter into contracts, interlocal agreements, and

16  other written documents necessary to conduct the business of

17  the authority.

18         (g)  Perform any other acts reasonable and necessary to

19  implement and enforce the provisions of this act and any rules

20  adopted in accordance with this act.

21         Section 5.  Office and staffing.--

22         (1)  The commission shall direct the county manager to

23  appoint one or more staff persons to assist the authority in

24  conducting its business and provide a mailing address,

25  telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address for the

26  authority. That person or persons shall work at the direction

27  of the interim chair, if any, or the chair of the authority

28  in:

29         (a)  Organizing and holding meetings required of the

30  authority as well as in responding to inquires to the

31  authority.


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 1         (b)  Preparing and placing advertisements in the county

 2  in a newspaper of general circulation as defined by chapter

 3  50, Florida Statutes, as amended from time to time when

 4  required in conjunction with giving notice of public meetings

 5  and hearings.

 6         (c)  Preparing the agenda for each meeting and ensuring

 7  that the meeting is appropriately recorded, minutes are

 8  prepared, and the public record maintained thereafter.

 9         (d)  Making copies of the records of the authority upon

10  request in accordance with general law, except those which may

11  be exempt pursuant to general law.

12         (e)  Receiving and presenting to the authority any

13  requests for reimbursement for mileage and per diem, placing

14  them before the authority for approval, and then sending

15  approved vouchers to the clerk for payment along with the

16  signatures required by the bylaws of the authority to

17  authorize such payment.

18         (f)  Maintaining accurate records of the hours spent in

19  working for the authority, preparing a bill for same at the

20  hourly rate attributable, plus benefits calculated at 30

21  percent of the hourly rate to each such employee, presenting

22  such costs annually at a time established by the authority for

23  approval, and thereafter send approved vouchers to the clerk

24  for reimbursement from the account further described by this

25  act.

26         (g)  Maintaining accurate records of other operating

27  costs of the authority, except those of the county attorney,

28  and seeking reimbursement in the same manner as provided in

29  paragraph (f).

30         (h)  Performing any other duties directed by any

31  interim chair and thereafter the chair of the authority.


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 1         (2)  The commission shall direct the county attorney to

 2  assist the authority in conducting its business by appointing

 3  himself or herself or an assistant county attorney who shall

 4  also attend each meeting of the authority unless otherwise

 5  directed by the chair or interim chair of the authority. The

 6  county attorney shall bill and request reimbursement in the

 7  same manner as provided in paragraphs (1)(f) and (g) as the

 8  employee or employees appointed by the county manager.

 9         Section 6.  (1)  The clerk shall receive funds

10  forwarded by the Chief Financial Officer in accordance with

11  section 211.3103, Florida Statutes, as amended from time to

12  time, and deposit them, into a restricted, interest-bearing

13  account for the sole use of the authority as provided by this

14  act. The clerk shall also deposit any funds received by the

15  authority through loan, gift, or grant into the account

16  maintained on behalf of the authority. The clerk shall also

17  provide a quarterly statement of account to the chair or any

18  interim chair of the authority. Funds not expended by the end

19  of each fiscal year may be carried forward for use by the

20  authority during any succeeding year.

21         (2)  The clerk shall disburse funds from the

22  restricted, interest-bearing account only upon receipt of a

23  voucher, signed by the chair and at least one other member as

24  provided in the bylaws of the authority, authorizing such

25  disbursement.

26         (3)  The clerk may charge the authority any statutory

27  fees available to the clerk's office for the administration of

28  the account on behalf of the authority, and the authority

29  shall authorize payment of such fees.

30         Section 7.  Grants; application; review; awards.--

31         (1)  APPLICATION PROCEDURES.--


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 1         (a)  Applications for grants-in-aid from the authority

 2  shall be signed by the person or persons with legal authority

 3  to obligate the applicant and shall be made on an authority

 4  grants-in-aid application form.

 5         (b)  Applicants may submit more than one application

 6  for grant assistance. An application grant project must be

 7  limited to a single site or group of sites in which all the

 8  properties have the same owner or owners.

 9         (c)  The authority may request additional information

10  or clarification on any application that is submitted. Such

11  request may be made to the applicant by letter or by telephone

12  and shall indicate the date by which the information or

13  clarification is needed.

14         (d)  Applications shall be submitted to the authority

15  and shall include the original and the number of complete

16  copies the authority requires.

17         (e)1.  To be considered for funding, applications must

18  be received by the authority office on or before 5:00 p.m. on

19  the deadline specified in the grant solicitation letter or be

20  clearly postmarked or show evidence of submission to an

21  express mail service on or before the deadline.

22         2.  At least 30 days before each grant solicitation

23  period, the authority shall publish in the Florida

24  Administrative Weekly and as otherwise determined by the

25  authority notification of the impending grant application

26  period. This notification shall include a mailing address and

27  telephone number through which application forms and

28  additional information may be obtained.

29         (2)  APPLICATION REVIEW.--

30         (a)  Upon receipt of grant applications, the authority

31  shall review and evaluate each application for completeness


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 1  and eligibility. Each application shall be assigned an

 2  identification number.

 3         (b)  The authority shall send a copy of each

 4  application to the chair of the governing body of the county

 5  and of each municipality in the county and to the chair of the

 6  board of any nonprofit corporation which may have been formed

 7  pursuant to section 378.036(6), Florida Statutes, as amended

 8  from time to time, with a request for a response which may not

 9  be required less than 30 calendar days after the date of

10  posting to the entities.

11         (c)  Each governing body and the board of directors

12  described in paragraph (b) may review the projects and then

13  rank them in the order that each would prefer to be funded,

14  with "1" being the first priority and each subsequent higher

15  number being of lesser importance. Each may include

16  documentation as to the reasons for the ranking, and any such

17  ranking and documentation must be received by the authority by

18  the date prescribed to be considered by the authority.

19         (d)  The authority shall convene at least one public

20  meeting to review all applications for grants for economic

21  development and infrastructure projects in the county,

22  including any rankings received as provided in paragraphs (b)

23  and (c) and any public testimony that is received at the

24  hearing.

25         (e)  Thereafter, the authority shall evaluate each

26  application based on the criteria relating to the site

27  involved, the prospective grantee, and the anticipated public

28  benefit as follows:

29         1.  Criteria related to the site shall be established

30  by the authority prior to any solicitation for grant

31  applications.


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 1         2.  CRITERIA RELATED TO THE GRANTEE:

 2         a.  Administrative capability, including personnel,

 3  facilities, and organization, adequate to complete the project

 4  and meet the administrative requirements of the grant.

 5         b.  Financial resources adequate to carry project costs

 6  as necessary pending receipt of reimbursements from grant

 7  funds.

 8         c.  Availability of professional and technical services

 9  required to carry out the project work.

10         3.  Criteria related to public benefit:

11         a.  Compatibility with countywide economic development

12  and infrastructure priorities, including equitable geographic

13  and demographic distribution of available funds.

14         b.  Anticipated economic benefits, including direct

15  impact on the local economy and the stimulation of additional

16  private-sector interest and investment in the county.

17         c.  Public use or other public good resulting from the

18  project.

19         (f)  The authority shall develop a priority listing of

20  all project applications, including consideration of the

21  information received from the county, the municipalities, the

22  nonprofit corporation, if any, and the public, by ranking each

23  project relative to the others and shall establish funding

24  levels and any appropriate special conditions for each

25  individual project. When developing its priority listing, in

26  addition to considering other criteria used in evaluating

27  project applications, the authority may give special

28  consideration to projects for which the county has undertaken

29  to provide matching funds.

30         (g)  Grant funds shall be awarded in accordance with

31  the final priority listing of the applications considered for


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 1  grant assistance by the authority, and funds shall not be

 2  provided for projects that were not applied for, reviewed, and

 3  recommended in accordance with procedures outlined in this

 4  act.

 5         (h)  The authority may decline to fund any or all

 6  requested projects in any fiscal year if the projects fail to

 7  adequately meet the authority's evaluation criteria. Moneys

 8  received from the state Chief Financial Officer for that year

 9  shall be carried forward for distribution in a following

10  fiscal year.

11         (3)  GRANT AWARD AGREEMENT.--

12         (a)  All grant awards that have been approved in

13  accordance with this act shall be formalized through a grant

14  award agreement that is incorporated by reference.

15         (b)  The grant award agreement shall contain conditions

16  governing the grant award.

17         (c)  The project work may not be initiated before the

18  effective date of the grant award agreement unless authorized

19  by the council.

20         (d)  Funds remaining in any grant allocation as a

21  result of early termination or from completion of the project

22  at less than anticipated cost shall revert to the

23  interest-bearing restricted account established by this act to

24  be distributed to any other project or projects in accordance

25  with this act.

26         Section 8.  If any provision of this act or its

27  application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the

28  invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of

29  the act which can be given effect without the invalid

30  provision or application, and to this end the provisions of

31  this act are declared severable.


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 1         Section 9.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

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