HB 1091

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to assessments to fund law enforcement
3services; creating s. 166.212, F.S.; authorizing municipal
4governments to levy an assessment to fund law enforcement
5services; providing for a methodology to charge a parcel
6in reasonable proportion to the benefits it receives;
7requiring that ad valorem taxes be reduced; providing
8limits on the amount of the reduction in certain
9circumstances; providing for increases in assessments in
10future years; providing that such assessment shall be
11construed to be general law authorization pursuant to ss.
121 and 9, Art. VII of the State Constitution; providing an
13effective date.
14
15Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17     Section 1.  Section 166.212, Florida Statutes, is created
18to read:
19     166.212  Assessments for law enforcement services.-
20     (1)  A municipality may fund some or all of the costs of
21law enforcement services through the levy of a law enforcement
22services assessment if the governing body of the municipality:
23     (a)  Adopts a law enforcement services assessment ordinance
24that apportions the cost among the property in the municipality
25based on a methodology that charges a parcel in reasonable
26proportion to the benefits it receives. Such methodology may, in
27addition to any other relevant factors, take into consideration
28the following:
29     1.  Square footage.
30     2.  Location.
31     3.  Use.
32     4.  Amount of law enforcement time spent protecting
33property by neighborhood, zone, or category of use, including
34number of calls, time spent on regular patrol, and time spent
35ensuring the safety of and regulating the traffic on the streets
36that give access to the property.
37     5.  Value of the property protected, including contents;
38however, in no instance may value of property be the sole or
39major factor in setting the assessment.
40     (b)  In the initial year of implementation, reduces its
41total ad valorem tax revenue, as projected for the upcoming
42fiscal year and calculated as if there were no law enforcement
43services assessment, by an amount equal to the amount of the law
44enforcement services assessment; however, no municipality shall
45be required to reduce its millage rate, exclusive of voted
46millages and contract obligated millages, by more than 75
47percent. After the initial year of implementation, the
48assessment shall be increased only in the same manner as ad
49valorem revenue is permitted to be increased pursuant to s.
50200.065. The initial reduction in ad valorem tax revenue,
51exclusive of voted millages and contract millages, shall be
52limited to no more than 50 percent if the implementing
53resolution is adopted by an extraordinary majority vote of the
54governing body.
55     (2)  The authorization provided in this section shall be
56construed to be general law authorization pursuant to ss. 1 and
579, Art. VII of the State Constitution.
58     Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.


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