Florida Senate - 2014                                     SB 512
       
       
        
       By Senator Flores
       
       
       
       
       
       37-00356-14                                            2014512__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to cemeteries; amending s. 497.260,
    3         F.S.; revising the exemptions to ch. 497, F.S.,
    4         relating to cemeteries, to include certain religious
    5         institution-owned cemeteries; amending s. 497.452,
    6         F.S.; deleting obsolete provisions; conforming a
    7         provision to changes made by the act; providing an
    8         effective date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Paragraph (j) is added to subsection (1) of
   13  section 497.260, Florida Statutes, to read:
   14         497.260 Cemeteries; exemption; investigation and
   15  mediation.—
   16         (1) The provisions of this chapter relating to cemeteries
   17  and all rules adopted pursuant thereto shall apply to all
   18  cemeteries except for:
   19         (j) A religious-institution-owned cemetery, including all
   20  associated columbaria and mausoleums, consisting of 50 acres or
   21  less if the religious institution:
   22         1. Limits burial rights within the cemetery to members of
   23  the religious institution and their families; and
   24         2. Maintains escrowed funds sufficient to cover maintenance
   25  costs and preneed agreements.
   26         Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 497.452, Florida
   27  Statutes, is amended to read:
   28         497.452 Preneed license required.—
   29         (4) The provisions of This section does do not apply to
   30  religious-institution-owned cemeteries exempt under s.
   31  497.260(1)(d) or (j), in counties with a population of at least
   32  960,000 persons on July 1, 1996, with respect to the sale to the
   33  religious institution’s members and their families of interment
   34  rights, mausoleums, crypts, cremation niches, cremation
   35  interment containers, vaults, liners, urns, memorials, vases,
   36  foundations, memorial bases, floral arrangements, monuments,
   37  markers, engraving, and the opening and closing of interment
   38  rights, mausoleums, crypts, cremation niches, and cremation
   39  interment containers, if such cemeteries have engaged in the
   40  sale of preneed contracts prior to October 1, 1993, and maintain
   41  a positive net worth at the end of each fiscal year of the
   42  cemetery.
   43         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.