| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Sarasota County Public Hospital |
| 3 | District; amending chapter 2003-359, Laws of Florida; |
| 4 | authorizing the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board to |
| 5 | establish, operate, and maintain facilities and services |
| 6 | outside the boundaries of the district; restricting the |
| 7 | use of ad valorem tax funds to facilities and services |
| 8 | within the district; providing for severability; providing |
| 9 | for construction; providing an effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Section 1. Subsections (20), (21), (22), and (23) are |
| 14 | added to section 8 of section 3 of chapter 2003-359, Laws of |
| 15 | Florida, to read: |
| 16 | (20) The Hospital Board is hereby authorized and |
| 17 | empowered, notwithstanding any language contained elsewhere in |
| 18 | this act to the contrary, to establish, construct, equip, |
| 19 | operate, and maintain both within and beyond the boundaries of |
| 20 | the District, in addition to hospitals, all manner of other |
| 21 | health care facilities and all manner of other health care |
| 22 | services which promote the public health and the health care |
| 23 | needs of those members of the public served by the Sarasota |
| 24 | County Public Hospital Board. |
| 25 | (21) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act which |
| 26 | permits the joint participation with other hospitals and health |
| 27 | care providers or which permits the establishment or providing |
| 28 | of other health care facilities or services beyond the |
| 29 | boundaries of the Sarasota County Public Hospital District, the |
| 30 | Hospital Board shall be expressly prohibited from using any |
| 31 | funds derived from the assessment of ad valorem taxes on |
| 32 | property located within the District to support any such joint |
| 33 | participation or to establish or provide any health care |
| 34 | facility or health care service beyond the boundaries of the |
| 35 | District, it being the express intent of the Legislature that |
| 36 | any ad valorem tax funds be used solely toward health care |
| 37 | facilities or health care services within the District. |
| 38 | (22) The Hospital Board is authorized and empowered to |
| 39 | contract with individuals, partnerships, corporations, |
| 40 | municipalities, the county, the state, and any subdivision or |
| 41 | agency thereof in the United States of America, to carry out the |
| 42 | purposes of this act, including participation in the joint |
| 43 | provision with other hospitals and health care providers of all |
| 44 | manner of inpatient and outpatient facilities and health care |
| 45 | services which provide benefit to those members of the public |
| 46 | served by the hospital or hospitals of the District both within |
| 47 | and beyond the boundaries of the Sarasota County Public Hospital |
| 48 | District and to the extent such participation is consistent with |
| 49 | all restrictions contained in the constitution and general laws |
| 50 | of the state. |
| 51 | (23) The Hospital Board shall have and exercise all powers |
| 52 | necessary, incidental, or convenient to effect any or all of the |
| 53 | purposes for which the District or the Hospital Board is |
| 54 | organized under the provisions of this act. |
| 55 | Section 2. If any section, paragraph, sentence, clause, |
| 56 | phrase, or other part of this act shall be declared |
| 57 | unconstitutional, or if this act should be declared inapplicable |
| 58 | in any case, such declaration shall not affect the remainder of |
| 59 | this act or the applicability thereof in any other case. |
| 60 | Section 3. This act shall be construed as remedial and |
| 61 | shall be liberally construed to promote the purpose for which it |
| 62 | is intended. |
| 63 | Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |