Florida Senate - 2015 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HB 695, 1st Eng.
Ì236592<Î236592
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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Senator Flores moved the following:
1 Senate Amendment to Amendment (756158) (with title
2 amendment)
3
4 Between lines 351 and 352
5 insert:
6 Section 12. Value Adjustment Board Citizen Member Pilot
7 Program.—
8 (1) The Value Adjustment Board Citizen Member Pilot Program
9 is established. The purpose of the pilot program is to study the
10 effectiveness of value adjustment boards composed solely of
11 citizen members. The pilot program will be conducted in
12 Hillsborough, Okaloosa, and Okeechobee Counties for value
13 adjustment board responsibilities for the 2015 and 2016 tax
14 rolls.
15 (2) Notwithstanding s. 194.015, Florida Statutes, a value
16 adjustment board is created in each of Hillsborough, Okaloosa,
17 and Okeechobee Counties. The respective boards shall consist of
18 three citizen members who are appointed by the Governor to 2
19 year terms. Each member appointed must be a resident of the
20 county served by the board. Of these appointees, one member must
21 own homestead property in the county, one member must own
22 commercial property in the county, and one member must be a
23 licensed real estate appraiser. If a licensed real estate
24 appraiser is not available, another owner of homestead or
25 commercial property in the county may be nominated as provided
26 in this section and may be appointed by the Governor. Each
27 member of the Legislature elected from a district that includes
28 part of an affected county may nominate up to three candidates
29 for appointment to that county’s value adjustment board.
30 Nominations shall be submitted to the Governor no later than
31 August 1, 2015. The Governor shall appoint from the qualified
32 candidates nominated for a position unless the Governor receives
33 fewer than three qualified nominations for the position, in
34 which case the Governor may appoint any other individual meeting
35 the qualifications for the position. Vacancies shall be filled
36 in the same manner as original appointments. Any two members
37 shall constitute a quorum of the board, and a meeting may not
38 take place unless a quorum is present. The board shall elect one
39 of its members to serve as chair. The Department of Business and
40 Professional Regulation must provide continuing education
41 credits to an appraiser member of the board for service on the
42 board.
43 (3) The Department of Revenue shall submit to the Governor,
44 the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
45 Representatives by December 31, 2017, a report on the respective
46 counties’ value adjustment board activity for the 2015 and 2016
47 tax rolls. The report must include information on the number of
48 petitions to the value adjustment board, the number of decisions
49 issued by the value adjustment board, the time taken by the
50 value adjustment board to issue its decisions, the percentage
51 change in the value of the petitioned property, and the effect
52 of the changes on the overall tax roll, and must compare that
53 information to that reported by the participating counties for
54 their 2012, 2013, and 2014 tax rolls.
55 (4) Unless they are in direct conflict with this section,
56 the provisions of chapter 194, Florida Statutes, apply to
57 proceedings by participating value adjustment boards.
58 (5) This section is repealed effective on the date that the
59 final participating value adjustment board completes its second
60 certification pursuant to s. 193.122, Florida Statutes, for the
61 2016 tax roll.
62
63 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
64 And the title is amended as follows:
65 Between lines 407 and 408
66 insert:
67 creating the Value Adjustment Board Citizen Member
68 Pilot Program; specifying the program’s purpose, the
69 counties in which the program will be conducted, and
70 the program’s duration; establishing a value
71 adjustment board in each participating county;
72 specifying the board’s membership; specifying quorum
73 requirements and an election process for the board
74 chair; requiring the Department of Business and
75 Professional Regulation to provide continuing
76 education credits to a specified board member;
77 requiring the Department of Revenue to submit a report
78 to the Governor and the Legislature regarding certain
79 activity of the boards; providing that specified law
80 relating to administrative and judicial review of
81 property taxes applies to the proceedings of the
82 boards; providing for repeal of the program;