Florida Senate - 2020                                    SB 1424
       
       
        
       By Senator Gruters
       
       
       
       
       
       23-01841-20                                           20201424__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to special neighborhood improvement
    3         districts; amending s. 163.511, F.S.; revising the
    4         number of directors allowed on the boards of special
    5         neighborhood improvement districts; requiring local
    6         planning ordinances to specify the number of directors
    7         and provide for 4-year staggered terms; requiring that
    8         directors be landowners in the proposed area and be
    9         subject to certain taxation; making technical changes;
   10         providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) and subsections
   15  (7) and (8) of section 163.511, Florida Statutes, are amended to
   16  read:
   17         163.511 Special neighborhood improvement districts;
   18  creation; referendum; board of directors; duration; extension.—
   19         (1) After a local planning ordinance has been adopted
   20  authorizing the creation of special neighborhood improvement
   21  districts, the governing body of a municipality or county may
   22  declare the need for and create special residential or business
   23  neighborhood improvement districts by the enactment of a
   24  separate ordinance for each district, which ordinance:
   25         (f) Provides for the appointment of a three-member board of
   26  directors, a five-member board of directors, or a seven-member
   27  3-member board of directors for the district, the members of
   28  which must be elected to staggered terms of 4 years. The number
   29  of appointed directors must be specified in the ordinance.
   30         (7) The business and affairs of a special neighborhood
   31  improvement district shall be conducted and administered by a
   32  board of three, five, or seven directors who must shall be
   33  landowners in residents of the proposed area and who are subject
   34  to ad valorem taxation in the district. Upon their appointment
   35  and qualification and in January of each year, the directors
   36  shall organize by electing from their number a chair and a
   37  secretary, and may also employ staff and legal representatives
   38  as deemed appropriate, who shall serve at the pleasure of the
   39  board and may receive such compensation as shall be fixed by the
   40  board. The secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of
   41  the district and is the shall be custodian of all books and
   42  records of the district. The directors may shall not receive any
   43  compensation for their services or, nor may they be employed by
   44  the district.
   45         (8) Within 30 days after of the approval of the creation of
   46  a special neighborhood improvement district, if the district is
   47  in a municipality, a majority of the governing body of the
   48  municipality, or, if the district is in the unincorporated area
   49  of the county, a majority of the county commission, shall
   50  appoint the three directors provided for under this section
   51  herein for staggered terms of 3 years. The initial appointments
   52  shall be as follows: one for a 1-year term, one for a 2-year
   53  term, and one for a 3-year term. Each director shall hold office
   54  until his or her successor is appointed and qualified unless the
   55  director ceases to be qualified to act as a director or is
   56  removed from office. Vacancies on the board shall be filled for
   57  the unexpired portion of a term in the same manner as the
   58  initial appointments were made.
   59         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.