| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Southern Manatee Fire and Rescue |
| 3 | District, Manatee County; amending chapter 2000-402, Laws |
| 4 | of Florida; conforming the district's charter to ch. 191, |
| 5 | F.S., relating to impact fees; providing an effective |
| 6 | date. |
| 7 |
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| 8 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 9 |
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| 10 | Section 1. Section 7 of section 3 of chapter 2000-402, |
| 11 | Laws of Florida, is amended to read: |
| 12 | Section 7. Impact fees.-- |
| 13 | (1)(a) It is hereby found and determined that the district |
| 14 | is located in one of the fastest growing areas of Manatee |
| 15 | County, which is itself experiencing one of the highest growth |
| 16 | rates in the nation. New construction and resulting population |
| 17 | growth have placed a strain upon the capabilities of the |
| 18 | district to continue providing the high level of professional |
| 19 | fire protection and emergency service for which the residents of |
| 20 | the district pay and which they deserve. |
| 21 | (b) It is hereby declared that the cost of new facilities |
| 22 | for fire protection and emergency service should be borne by new |
| 23 | users of the district services to the extent new construction |
| 24 | requires new facilities, but only to that extent. It is the |
| 25 | legislative intent of this section to transfer to the new users |
| 26 | of the district's fire protection and emergency services a fair |
| 27 | share of the costs that new users impose on the district for new |
| 28 | facilities. |
| 29 | (c) It is hereby declared that the amount of the impact |
| 30 | fees provided for in this section are just, reasonable, and |
| 31 | equitable. |
| 32 | (d) On September 10, 2002, the district's electors |
| 33 | approved a referendum authorizing the district to increase |
| 34 | impact fees on new construction. |
| 35 | (2) No person may issue or obtain a building permit for |
| 36 | new residential dwelling units or new commercial or industrial |
| 37 | structures within the district, or issue or obtain construction |
| 38 | plan approval for new mobile home or recreational or travel |
| 39 | trailer park developments located within the district, until the |
| 40 | developer thereof has paid the applicable impact fee to the |
| 41 | district according to a schedule determined annually by the |
| 42 | board in accordance with chapter 191, Florida Statutes, as |
| 43 | amended from time to time as follows: each new residential |
| 44 | dwelling unit, $150; new commercial or industrial structures, |
| 45 | $310 up to 5,000 square feet, and $310 plus $0.08 per square |
| 46 | foot above 5,000 square feet for structures 5,000 square feet or |
| 47 | over; new recreational or travel trailer park developments, $40 |
| 48 | per lot or permitted space. |
| 49 | (3) The impact fees collected by the district pursuant to |
| 50 | this section shall be kept as a separate fund from other |
| 51 | revenues of the district and shall be used exclusively for the |
| 52 | acquisition, purchase, or construction of new facilities or |
| 53 | portions thereof required to provide fire protection and |
| 54 | emergency service to new construction. "New facilities" means |
| 55 | land, buildings, and capital equipment, including, but not |
| 56 | limited to, fire and emergency vehicles and radio-telemetry |
| 57 | equipment. The fees may not be used for the acquisition, |
| 58 | purchase, or construction of facilities which must be obtained |
| 59 | in any event, regardless of growth within the district. The |
| 60 | board of fire commissioners shall maintain adequate records to |
| 61 | ensure that impact fees are expended only for permissible new |
| 62 | facilities. |
| 63 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |