1 | A bill to be entitled |
2 | An act relating to firefighting; amending s. 40.013, F.S.; |
3 | excusing certain firefighters from jury duty service; |
4 | amending s. 191.008, F.S.; authorizing the governing board |
5 | of a fire control district to recover court costs and |
6 | attorney's fees in certain civil actions; amending s. |
7 | 191.011, F.S.; authorizing a fire control district to |
8 | exempt property owned or operated by religious |
9 | institutions from non-ad valorem assessments; providing a |
10 | definition; creating s. 191.016, F.S.; revising the |
11 | application of a provision relating to municipal |
12 | annexation within independent special districts; revising |
13 | criteria used in determining the defined boundaries of a |
14 | special fire control district for certain purposes; |
15 | requiring certain annexing municipalities to make payments |
16 | to special fire control districts; requiring special fire |
17 | control districts to provide certain services to annexed |
18 | properties; providing an effective date. |
19 |
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20 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
21 |
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22 | Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section |
23 | 40.013, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
24 | 40.013 Persons disqualified or excused from jury |
25 | service.-- |
26 | (2) |
27 | (b) Any full-time federal, state, or local law enforcement |
28 | officer or such entities' investigative personnel or any full- |
29 | time firefighter, as defined in s. 112.81, shall be excused from |
30 | jury service unless such persons choose to serve. |
31 | Section 2. Subsections (5), (6), and (7) of section |
32 | 191.008, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (6), |
33 | (7), and (8), respectively, and a new subsection (5) is added to |
34 | that section, to read: |
35 | 191.008 Special powers.--Independent special fire control |
36 | districts shall provide for fire suppression and prevention by |
37 | establishing and maintaining fire stations and fire substations |
38 | and acquiring and maintaining such firefighting and fire |
39 | protection equipment deemed necessary to prevent or fight fires. |
40 | All construction shall be in compliance with applicable state, |
41 | regional, and local regulations, including adopted comprehensive |
42 | plans and land development regulations. The board shall have and |
43 | may exercise any or all of the following special powers relating |
44 | to facilities and duties authorized by this act: |
45 | (5) Recover reasonable court costs, including attorney's |
46 | fees, from the nonprevailing party in any civil action to |
47 | enforce the provisions of chapter 553 or chapter 633 and this |
48 | section concerning fire suppression and prevention and the |
49 | enforcement of the firesafety code. |
50 | Section 3. Subsection (12) is added to section 191.011, |
51 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
52 | 191.011 Procedures for the levy and collection of non-ad |
53 | valorem assessments.-- |
54 | (12) Property owned or operated by a religious institution |
55 | and used primarily as a place of worship shall be exempt from |
56 | any non-ad valorem assessments levied pursuant to this act if |
57 | the governing board of the district desires to exempt all |
58 | religious institutions in the district from such assessments. |
59 | The term "religious institution" means any church, synagogue, or |
60 | other established physical place for worship at which nonprofit |
61 | religious services and activities are regularly conducted and |
62 | carried on. |
63 | Section 4. Section 191.016, Florida Statutes, is created |
64 | to read: |
65 | 191.016 Annexations within fire control district.-- |
66 | (1) Section 171.093 applies to annexations pursuant to |
67 | part I of chapter 171 within the boundaries of a district, |
68 | unless the district's charter provides that the district remains |
69 | the service provider following an annexation within its |
70 | boundaries or prohibits annexations within its boundaries. |
71 | (2) For purposes of determining the defined boundaries of |
72 | a district pursuant to s. 175.101(1), the boundaries shall be |
73 | deemed to include annexed areas until the end of the 4-year |
74 | period provided for in s. 171.093(4) or other agreed-upon |
75 | extension or the termination of an interlocal agreement executed |
76 | pursuant to s. 171.093(3). |
77 | (3) An annexing municipality shall make payments to the |
78 | district as required under s. 171.093(4)(a) by March 31 of each |
79 | year of the 4-year period provided for in that section or in an |
80 | agreed-upon extension. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the |
81 | annexing municipality shall not be required to pay the district |
82 | moneys that have not been paid on a specific parcel until such |
83 | time as the moneys have been received by the annexing |
84 | municipality, and, within 30 days after receipt, the annexing |
85 | municipality shall make payment of such moneys to the district. |
86 | (4) During the term of the district's provision of fire |
87 | protection services to annexed properties pursuant to s. |
88 | 171.093(4), the district shall continue to provide all services |
89 | relating to the provision of fire protection, including, but not |
90 | limited to, the applicability of the fire control district's |
91 | regulations and inspections. |
92 | Section 5. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |