Senate Bill sb2020

    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 2020

    By Senator Bennett





    21-1728-07                                              See HB

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to firefighting; amending s.

  3         40.013, F.S.; excusing certain firefighters

  4         from jury duty service; amending s. 191.008,

  5         F.S.; authorizing the governing board of a fire

  6         control district to recover court costs and

  7         attorney's fees in certain civil actions;

  8         amending s. 191.011, F.S.; authorizing a fire

  9         control district to exempt property owned or

10         operated by religious institutions from non-ad

11         valorem assessments; providing a definition;

12         providing an effective date.

13  

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

15  

16         Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section

17  40.013, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

18         40.013  Persons disqualified or excused from jury

19  service.--

20         (2)

21         (b)  Any full-time federal, state, or local law

22  enforcement officer or such entities' investigative personnel

23  or any full-time firefighter, as defined in s. 112.81, shall

24  be excused from jury service unless such persons choose to

25  serve.

26         Section 2.  Subsections (5), (6), and (7) of section

27  191.008, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (6),

28  (7), and (8), respectively, and a new subsection (5) is added

29  to that section, to read:

30         191.008  Special powers.--Independent special fire

31  control districts shall provide for fire suppression and

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






    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 2020
    21-1728-07                                              See HB




 1  prevention by establishing and maintaining fire stations and

 2  fire substations and acquiring and maintaining such

 3  firefighting and fire protection equipment deemed necessary to

 4  prevent or fight fires. All construction shall be in

 5  compliance with applicable state, regional, and local

 6  regulations, including adopted comprehensive plans and land

 7  development regulations. The board shall have and may exercise

 8  any or all of the following special powers relating to

 9  facilities and duties authorized by this act:

10         (5)  Recover reasonable court costs, including

11  attorney's fees, from the nonprevailing party in any civil

12  action to enforce the provisions of chapter 553 or chapter 633

13  and this section concerning fire suppression and prevention

14  and the enforcement of the firesafety code.

15         Section 3.  Subsection (12) is added to section

16  191.011, Florida Statutes, to read:

17         191.011  Procedures for the levy and collection of

18  non-ad valorem assessments.--

19         (12)  Property owned or operated by a religious

20  institution and used primarily as a place of worship shall be

21  exempt from any non-ad valorem assessments levied pursuant to

22  this act if the governing board of the district desires to

23  exempt all religious institutions in the district from such

24  assessments. The term "religious institution" means any

25  church, synagogue, or other established physical place for

26  worship at which nonprofit religious services and activities

27  are regularly conducted and carried on.

28         Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

29  law.

30  

31  

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