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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to community redevelopment; amending s.

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163.340, F.S.; defining the term "blighted area" to

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include land previously used as a military facility;

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providing an effective date.

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

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     Section 1.  Subsection (8) of section 163.340, Florida

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Statutes, is amended to read:

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     163.340  Definitions.--The following terms, wherever used or

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referred to in this part, have the following meanings:

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     (8)  "Blighted area" means an area in which there are a

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substantial number of deteriorated, or deteriorating structures,

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in which conditions, as indicated by government-maintained

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statistics or other studies, are leading to economic distress or

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endanger life or property, and in which two or more of the

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following factors are present:

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     (a)  Predominance of defective or inadequate street layout,

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parking facilities, roadways, bridges, or public transportation

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facilities;

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     (b)  Aggregate assessed values of real property in the area

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for ad valorem tax purposes have failed to show any appreciable

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increase over the 5 years prior to the finding of such

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conditions;

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     (c)  Faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy,

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accessibility, or usefulness;

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     (d)  Unsanitary or unsafe conditions;

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     (e)  Deterioration of site or other improvements;

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     (f)  Inadequate and outdated building density patterns;

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     (g)  Falling lease rates per square foot of office,

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commercial, or industrial space compared to the remainder of the

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county or municipality;

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     (h)  Tax or special assessment delinquency exceeding the

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fair value of the land;

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     (i)  Residential and commercial vacancy rates higher in the

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area than in the remainder of the county or municipality;

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     (j)  Incidence of crime in the area higher than in the

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remainder of the county or municipality;

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     (k)  Fire and emergency medical service calls to the area

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proportionately higher than in the remainder of the county or

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municipality;

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     (l)  A greater number of violations of the Florida Building

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Code in the area than the number of violations recorded in the

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remainder of the county or municipality;

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     (m)  Diversity of ownership or defective or unusual

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conditions of title which prevent the free alienability of land

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within the deteriorated or hazardous area; or

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     (n)  Governmentally owned property with adverse

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environmental conditions caused by a public or private entity.

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However, the term "blighted area" also means any area in which at

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least one of the factors identified in paragraphs (a) through (n)

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are present and all taxing authorities subject to s.

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163.387(2)(a) agree, either by interlocal agreement or agreements

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with the agency or by resolution, that the area is blighted, or

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that the area was previously used as a military facility, is

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undeveloped, and consists of land that the Federal Government

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declared surplus within the preceding 20 years. Such agreement or

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resolution shall only determine that the area is blighted. For

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purposes of qualifying for the tax credits authorized in chapter

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220, "blighted area" means an area as defined in this subsection.

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     Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.