| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Cedar Hammock Fire Control |
| 3 | District, Manatee County; amending chapter 2000-391, Laws |
| 4 | of Florida; conforming the district charter to chapter |
| 5 | 191, Florida Statutes, relating to impact fees; providing |
| 6 | an effective date. |
| 7 |
|
| 8 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 9 |
|
| 10 | Section 1. Section 6 of section 3 of chapter 2000-391, |
| 11 | Laws of Florida, is amended to read: |
| 12 | Section 6. 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 County |
| 15 | which is itself experiencing one of the highest growth rates in |
| 16 | the nation. New construction and resulting population growth |
| 17 | have placed a strain upon the capabilities of the district to |
| 18 | continue providing the high level of professional fire |
| 19 | protection and emergency service for which the residents of the |
| 20 | district pay and which they deserve. |
| 21 | (b) It is hereby declared that the cost of new facilities |
| 22 | upon fire protection and emergency service should be borne by |
| 23 | new users of the district's services to the extent new |
| 24 | construction requires new facilities, but only to that extent. |
| 25 | It is the legislative intent of this section to transfer to the |
| 26 | new users of the district's fire protection and emergency |
| 27 | services a fair share of the costs that new users impose on the |
| 28 | district for new facilities. |
| 29 | (c) It is hereby declared that the amounts of the impact |
| 30 | fees provided for in this section are just, reasonable, and |
| 31 | equitable. |
| 32 | (d) On August 31, 2004, the district's electors approved a |
| 33 | referendum authorizing the district to increase impact fees on |
| 34 | new construction. |
| 35 | (2) No person shall 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 recreational or travel trailer park |
| 39 | developments located within the district, until the developer |
| 40 | thereof shall have paid the applicable impact fee to the |
| 41 | district according to a schedule established by the board in |
| 42 | accordance with chapter 191, Florida Statutes, as amended from |
| 43 | time to time as follows: each new residential dwelling unit, |
| 44 | $100 per unit; new commercial or industrial structures, $200 for |
| 45 | the first 5,000 square feet of gross floor area and $0.05 per |
| 46 | square foot thereafter; new recreational or travel trailer park |
| 47 | developments, $25 per lot or permitted space. |
| 48 | (3) The impact fees collected by the district pursuant to |
| 49 | this section shall be kept as a separate fund from other |
| 50 | revenues of the district and shall be used exclusively for the |
| 51 | acquisition, purchase, or construction of new facilities or |
| 52 | portions thereof required to provide fire protection and |
| 53 | emergency service to new construction. "New facilities" means |
| 54 | land, buildings, and capital equipment, including, but not |
| 55 | limited to, fire and emergency vehicles and radiotelemetry |
| 56 | equipment. The fees shall not be used for the acquisition, |
| 57 | purchase, or construction of facilities which must be obtained |
| 58 | in any event, regardless of growth within the district. The |
| 59 | board of fire commissioners shall maintain adequate records to |
| 60 | ensure that impact fees are expended only for permissible new |
| 61 | facilities. |
| 62 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |