| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to professional sports franchises; |
| 3 | amending s. 288.1162, F.S.; providing an exception to a |
| 4 | provision prohibiting certain persons who have previously |
| 5 | received funding from receiving additional funds; |
| 6 | increasing the number of facilities that may be certified |
| 7 | as facilities for certain new or retained professional |
| 8 | sports franchises; authorizing an additional certification |
| 9 | of a facility for a specified Major League Baseball |
| 10 | franchise; providing that a franchise that continues to |
| 11 | occupy a facility that was concurrently occupied by two |
| 12 | professional sports franchises shall be deemed the |
| 13 | franchise that formed the basis of the previous |
| 14 | certification; providing an effective date. |
| 15 |
|
| 16 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 17 |
|
| 18 | Section 1. Paragraph (h) of subsection (4) and subsections |
| 19 | (7) and (9) of section 288.1162, Florida Statutes, are amended, |
| 20 | and subsection (10) is added to that section, to read: |
| 21 | 288.1162 Professional sports franchises; spring training |
| 22 | franchises; duties.-- |
| 23 | (4) Prior to certifying an applicant as a "facility for a |
| 24 | new professional sports franchise" or a "facility for a retained |
| 25 | professional sports franchise," the Office of Tourism, Trade, |
| 26 | and Economic Development must determine that: |
| 27 | (h) An No applicant previously certified under any |
| 28 | provision of this section who has received funding under such |
| 29 | certification is not shall be eligible for an additional |
| 30 | certification, except as provided in subsections (9) and (10). |
| 31 | (7)(a) The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic |
| 32 | Development shall notify the Department of Revenue of any |
| 33 | facility certified as a facility for a new professional sports |
| 34 | franchise or a facility for a retained professional sports |
| 35 | franchise or as a facility for a retained spring training |
| 36 | franchise. The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic |
| 37 | Development shall certify no more than nine eight facilities as |
| 38 | facilities for a new professional sports franchise or as |
| 39 | facilities for a retained professional sports franchise, |
| 40 | including in such total any facilities certified by the |
| 41 | Department of Commerce before July 1, 1996. The number of |
| 42 | facilities certified as a retained spring training franchise |
| 43 | shall be as provided in subsection (5). The office may make no |
| 44 | more than one certification for any facility. The office may not |
| 45 | certify funding for less than the requested amount to any |
| 46 | applicant certified as a facility for a retained spring training |
| 47 | franchise. |
| 48 | (b) The eighth certification of an applicant under this |
| 49 | section as a facility for a new professional sports franchise or |
| 50 | a facility for a retained professional sports franchise shall be |
| 51 | for a franchise that is a member of the National Basketball |
| 52 | Association, has been located within the state since 1987, and |
| 53 | has not been previously certified. This paragraph is repealed |
| 54 | July 1, 2010. |
| 55 | (c) The ninth certification of an applicant under this |
| 56 | section as a facility for a new professional sports franchise or |
| 57 | a facility for a retained professional sports franchise shall be |
| 58 | for a franchise that is a member of Major League Baseball and |
| 59 | has been located within the state since 1993. |
| 60 | (9) An applicant is not qualified for certification under |
| 61 | this section if the franchise formed the basis for a previous |
| 62 | certification, unless: |
| 63 | (a) The previous certification was withdrawn by the |
| 64 | facility or invalidated by the Office of Tourism, Trade, and |
| 65 | Economic Development or the Department of Commerce before any |
| 66 | funds were distributed pursuant to s. 212.20; or. |
| 67 | (b) The applicant will be the home facility for a |
| 68 | professional sports franchise that served as the basis for |
| 69 | certifying a facility that was occupied by two franchises. This |
| 70 | subsection does not disqualify an applicant if the previous |
| 71 | certification occurred between May 23, 1993, and May 25, 1993; |
| 72 | however, any funds to be distributed pursuant to s. 212.20 for |
| 73 | the second certification shall be offset by the amount |
| 74 | distributed to the previous certified facility. Distribution of |
| 75 | funds for the second certification shall not be made until all |
| 76 | amounts payable for the first certification have been |
| 77 | distributed. |
| 78 | (10) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, |
| 79 | a franchise continuing to use a facility that was concurrently |
| 80 | occupied by two professional sports franchises shall be deemed |
| 81 | the franchise forming the basis of the previous certification |
| 82 | and the previous certification shall continue to apply for the |
| 83 | period permitted from the original date of certification. |
| 84 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |