HB 1287

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to professional sports franchises;
3	amending s. 288.1162, F.S.; increasing the number of
4	facilities certified by the Office of Tourism, Trade, and
5	Economic Development as facilities for a new professional
6	sports franchise or as facilities for a retained
7	professional sports franchise; providing an additional
8	exception to disqualification for certification of an
9	applicant when the franchise formed the basis of a
10	previous certification; providing that payments to a
11	certified applicant may not extend beyond the period for
12	which the original certification was issued; specifying
13	the date on which an applicant certified after the
14	effective date of the act may receive disbursements;
15	providing an effective date.
16
17	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19	Section 1.  Subsections (7) and (9) of section 288.1162,
20	Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
21	288.1162  Professional sports franchises; spring training
22	franchises; duties.--
23	(7)  The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development
24	shall notify the Department of Revenue of any facility certified
25	as a facility for a new professional sports franchise or a
26	facility for a retained professional sports franchise or as a
27	facility for a retained spring training franchise. The Office of
28	Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development shall certify no more
29	than nine eight facilities as facilities for a new professional
30	sports franchise or as facilities for a retained professional
31	sports franchise and shall certify at least five as facilities
32	for retained spring training franchises, including in such total
33	any facilities certified by the Department of Commerce before
34	July 1, 1996. The office may make no more than one certification
35	for any facility. The office may not certify funding for less
36	than the requested amount to any applicant certified as a
37	facility for a retained spring training franchise.
38	(9)(a)  An applicant is not qualified for certification
39	under this section if the franchise formed the basis for a
40	previous certification, unless:
41	1.  The previous certification was withdrawn by the
42	facility or invalidated by the Office of Tourism, Trade, and
43	Economic Development or the Department of Commerce before any
44	funds were distributed pursuant to s. 212.20; or.
45	2.  The previous certification was for an applicant that
46	served as the home facility for two professional sports
47	franchises and the franchise was used as a basis for the
48	certification of a new applicant. Notwithstanding any other
49	provision of this section, the franchise continuing to use the
50	original applicant shall be deemed the franchise forming the
51	basis of the previous certification and the previous
52	certification shall continue to apply for the time period
53	permitted from the original date of certification.
54	(b)  This subsection does not disqualify an applicant if
55	the previous certification occurred between May 23, 1993, and
56	May 25, 1993; however, any funds to be distributed pursuant to
57	s. 212.20 for the second certification shall be offset by the
58	amount distributed to the previous certified facility.
59	Distribution of funds for the second certification shall not be
60	made until all amounts payable for the first certification have
61	been distributed.
62	(c)  Payments to a certified applicant may not extend
63	beyond the period for which the original certification was
64	issued.
65	Section 2.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an
66	applicant that is certified after the effective date of this act
67	pursuant to s. 228.1162, Florida Statutes, by the Office of
68	Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development as a facility for a new
69	professional sports franchise or a facility for a retained
70	professional sports franchise may not receive disbursements
71	pursuant to s. 212.20(6)(d)7.b., Florida Statutes, until July 1,
72	2006.
73	Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.