Florida Senate - 2015                                     SB 686
       
       
        
       By Senator Lee
       
       
       
       
       
       24-00716-15                                            2015686__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to military housing ad valorem tax
    3         exemptions; amending s. 196.199, F.S.; providing that
    4         certain leasehold interests and improvements to land
    5         owned by the United States, a branch of the United
    6         States Armed Forces, or any agency or quasi
    7         governmental agency of the United States are exempt
    8         from ad valorem taxation under specified
    9         circumstances; providing that such leasehold interests
   10         and improvements are entitled to an exemption from ad
   11         valorem taxation without an application being filed
   12         for the exemption or the property appraiser approving
   13         the exemption; providing nonapplicability of
   14         provisions to transient public lodging establishments;
   15         providing retroactive applicability; providing an
   16         effective date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
   21  196.199, Florida Statutes, is amended, to read:
   22         196.199 Government property exemption.—
   23         (1) Property owned and used by the following governmental
   24  units shall be exempt from taxation under the following
   25  conditions:
   26         (a)1. All property of the United States is shall be exempt
   27  from ad valorem taxation, except such property as is subject to
   28  tax by this state or any political subdivision thereof or any
   29  municipality under any law of the United States.
   30         2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes
   31  of the exemption from ad valorem taxation provided in
   32  subparagraph 1., property of the United States includes any
   33  leasehold interest of and improvements affixed to land owned by
   34  the United States, any branch of the United States Armed Forces,
   35  or any agency or quasi-governmental agency of the United States
   36  if the leasehold interest and improvements are acquired or
   37  constructed and used pursuant to the federal Military Housing
   38  Privatization Initiative of 1996, 10 U.S.C. ss. 2871 et seq. As
   39  used in this subparagraph, the term “improvements” includes
   40  actual housing units and any facilities that are directly
   41  related to such housing units, including any housing maintenance
   42  facilities, housing rental and management offices, parks and
   43  community centers, and recreational facilities. Any leasehold
   44  interest and improvements described in this subparagraph,
   45  regardless of whether title is held by the United States, shall
   46  be construed as being owned by the United States, the applicable
   47  branch of the United States Armed Forces, or the applicable
   48  agency or quasi-governmental agency of the United States and are
   49  exempt from ad valorem taxation without the necessity of an
   50  application for exemption being filed or approved by the
   51  property appraiser. This subparagraph does not apply to a
   52  transient public lodging establishment as defined in s. 509.013.
   53         Section 2. This act applies retroactively to January 1,
   54  2007.
   55         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.