Senate Bill sb0606er

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    2007 Legislature                                 CS for SB 606



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  2         An act relating to the South Florida Regional

  3         Transportation Authority; amending s. 343.54,

  4         F.S.; revising provisions relating to powers

  5         and duties of the authority; deleting the term

  6         "commuter rail"; amending s. 343.55, F.S.;

  7         authorizing the authority to issue, reissue, or

  8         redeem certain bonds; requiring that the bonds

  9         of the authority be authorized by resolution

10         under certain conditions; requiring certain

11         officers to execute such bonds; requiring the

12         authority to sell such bonds at public sale;

13         authorizing the authority to negotiate the sale

14         of the bonds under certain circumstances;

15         authorizing the authority to provide findings

16         in a resolution for the negotiation of a sale;

17         providing that certain resolutions may have

18         certain provisions with regard to a contract

19         with holders of bonds; authorizing the

20         authority to enter into trust indentures or

21         other agreements and to assign and pledge

22         revenues, fees, rentals, tolls, and other

23         charges; providing that the bonds are

24         negotiable instruments; amending s. 343.58,

25         F.S.; revising provisions for funding of the

26         authority; requiring counties served by the

27         authority to annually transfer certain funds

28         before a certain date; removing provisions for

29         sources of that funding; removing authorization

30         for a vehicle registration tax; providing for

31         certain funding by the state to fund capital


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    ENROLLED

    2007 Legislature                                 CS for SB 606



 1         and operating and maintenance expenses;

 2         providing that the funding source be dedicated

 3         to the authority under certain conditions;

 4         providing for cessation of specified county

 5         funding contributions and providing for certain

 6         refunding of the contributions under certain

 7         circumstances; revising the timeframe for

 8         repeal of specified funding provisions under

 9         certain circumstances; providing a legislative

10         purpose; providing an effective date.

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

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14         Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section

15  343.54, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

16         343.54  Powers and duties.--

17         (1)

18         (b)  It is the express intention of this part that the

19  authority be authorized to plan, develop, own, purchase,

20  lease, or otherwise acquire, demolish, construct, improve,

21  relocate, equip, repair, maintain, operate, and manage a

22  transit system and transit facilities; to establish and

23  determine the policies necessary for the best interest of the

24  operation and promotion of a transit system; and to adopt

25  rules necessary to govern the operation of a transit commuter

26  rail system and transit commuter rail facilities. It is the

27  intent of the Legislature that the South Florida Regional

28  Transportation Authority shall have overall authority to

29  coordinate, develop, and operate a regional transportation

30  system within the area served.

31  


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    2007 Legislature                                 CS for SB 606



 1         Section 2.  Subsection (3) of section 343.55, Florida

 2  Statutes, is amended to read:

 3         343.55  Issuance of revenue bonds.--

 4         (3)(a)  The authority may issue, reissue, or redeem

 5  bonds that do not pledge the full faith and credit of the

 6  state in such principal amounts as, in the opinion of the

 7  authority, is necessary to provide sufficient moneys for

 8  achieving its corporate purposes.

 9         (b)  The bonds of the authority, whether on original

10  issuance or refunding, must be authorized by resolution of the

11  authority after approval of the issuance of the bonds at a

12  public hearing. These bonds may be term or serial bonds, shall

13  bear such date or dates, mature at such time or times, bear

14  interest at such rate or rates, at such times, be in such

15  denominations, be in such form, coupon or fully registered,

16  shall carry registration, have exchangeability and

17  interchangeability privileges, be payable in such medium of

18  payment and at such place or places, be subject to such terms

19  of redemption and be entitled to such priorities on the

20  revenues, rates, fees, rentals, or other charges or receipts

21  of the authority as any resolution subsequent thereto may

22  provide. The bonds must be executed by officers as the

23  authority determines under the requirements of s. 279.06.

24         (c)  The authority shall sell the bonds at public sale

25  by competitive bid. However, if the authority receives a

26  written recommendation from a financial advisor and the

27  authority determines, by official action, that a negotiated

28  sale of the bonds is in the best interest of the authority,

29  the authority may negotiate sale of the bonds with the

30  underwriter designated by the authority, after a public

31  hearing and by a two-thirds vote of all voting members of the


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    2007 Legislature                                 CS for SB 606



 1  authority. The authority shall provide specific findings in a

 2  resolution as to the reasons requiring the negotiated sale.

 3  This resolution shall incorporate and have attached the

 4  written recommendation of the financial adviser required by

 5  this subsection.

 6         (d)  Any such resolution authorizing any bonds that do

 7  not pledge the full faith and credit of the sale may contain

 8  provisions that are part of the contract with the holders of

 9  the bonds as the authority determines proper. In addition, the

10  authority may enter into a trust indenture or other agreement

11  with its fiscal agent or with any bank or trust company within

12  or without the state as security for such bonds and may, under

13  an agreement, assign and pledge the revenues, rates, fees,

14  rentals, tolls, or other charges or receipts of the authority.

15         (e)  Any bond that is issued pursuant to this part is a

16  negotiable instrument and has all the qualities and incidents

17  of a negotiable instrument under the laws governing merchants

18  and negotiable instruments in this state. The Division of Bond

19  Finance is authorized to issue revenue bonds on behalf of the

20  authority to finance or refinance the cost of projects.

21         Section 3.  Section 343.58, Florida Statutes, is

22  amended to read:

23         343.58  County funding for the South Florida Regional

24  Transportation Authority.--

25         (1)  Each county served by the South Florida Regional

26  Transportation Authority must dedicate and transfer not less

27  than $2.67 million to the authority annually. The recurring

28  annual $2.67 million must be dedicated by the governing body

29  of each county before October 31 of each fiscal year by August

30  1, 2003. Notwithstanding ss. 206.41 and 206.87, such dedicated

31  funding may come from each county's share of the ninth-cent


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    2007 Legislature                                 CS for SB 606



 1  fuel tax, the local option fuel tax, or any other source of

 2  local gas taxes or other nonfederal funds available to the

 3  counties. In addition, the Legislature authorizes the levy of

 4  an annual license tax in the amount of $2 for the registration

 5  or renewal of registration of each vehicle taxed under s.

 6  320.08 and registered in the area served by the South Florida

 7  Regional Transportation Authority. The annual license tax

 8  shall take effect in any county served by the authority upon

 9  approval by the residents in a county served by the authority.

10  The annual license tax shall be levied and the Department of

11  Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall remit the proceeds

12  each month from the tax to the South Florida Regional

13  Transportation Authority.

14         (2)  At least $45 million of a state-authorized,

15  local-option recurring funding source available to Broward,

16  Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties is directed to the

17  authority to fund its capital, operating, and maintenance

18  expenses. The funding source shall be dedicated to the

19  authority only if Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties

20  impose the local-option funding source.

21         (3)(2)  In addition, each county shall continue to

22  annually fund the operations of the South Florida Regional

23  Transportation Authority in an amount not less than $1.565

24  million. Revenue raised Such funds pursuant to this subsection

25  shall also be considered a dedicated funding source.

26         (4)  The current funding obligations under subsections

27  (1) and (3) shall cease upon commencement of the collection of

28  funding from the funding source under subsection (2). If the

29  funding under subsection (2) is discontinued for any reason,

30  the funding obligations under subsections (1) and (3) shall

31  resume when collection from the funding source under


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    2007 Legislature                                 CS for SB 606



 1  subsection (2) ceases. Payment by the counties shall be on a

 2  pro rata basis the first year following cessation of the

 3  funding under subsection (2). The authority shall refund a pro

 4  rata share of the payments for the current fiscal year made

 5  pursuant to the current funding obligations under subsections

 6  (1) and (3) as soon as reasonably practicable after it begins

 7  to receive funds under subsection (2). If, by December 31,

 8  2015 2009, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority

 9  has not received federal matching funds based upon the

10  dedication of funds under subsection (1), subsection (1) shall

11  be repealed.

12         Section 4.  The Legislature finds that a proper and

13  legitimate state purpose is served in the effective and

14  efficient planning and operation of a regional transportation

15  system. Therefore, the Legislature determines and declares

16  that this legislation fulfills an important state interest.

17         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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