Florida Senate - 2022 SB 1298
By Senator Gruters
23-01604-22 20221298__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to agreements with professional sports
3 teams; creating s. 286.31, F.S.; defining the terms
4 “professional sports team” and “sporting event”;
5 prohibiting a governmental entity from entering into
6 certain agreements with a professional sports team
7 unless the agreement includes specified provisions;
8 requiring a governmental entity that enters into such
9 an agreement to strictly enforce such provisions;
10 authorizing the Attorney General to intervene to
11 enforce such provisions under certain circumstances;
12 providing an effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Section 286.31, Florida Statutes, is created to
17 read:
18 286.31 Agreements with professional sports teams.—
19 (1) DEFINITIONS.—
20 (a) “Professional sports team” means:
21 1. A team organized in this state that is a member of the
22 National League or the American League of Major League Baseball,
23 the National Basketball Association, the National Football
24 League, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, the
25 American Hockey League, the East Coast Hockey League, the
26 American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, the
27 Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, Minor League Baseball,
28 the National Basketball Association G League, the National
29 Women’s Soccer League, the Major Arena Soccer League, the United
30 Soccer League, or the Women’s National Basketball Association;
31 2. A person hosting a motorsports racing event sanctioned
32 by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR),
33 IndyCar, or another nationally recognized motorsports racing
34 association at a venue in this state with a permanent seating
35 capacity of at least 75,000; or
36 3. An organization hosting a Professional Golfers’
37 Association event.
38 (b) “Sporting event” means any preseason, regular season,
39 or postseason game or event of a professional sports team.
40 (2) PROVISIONS REQUIRED IN CERTAIN AGREEMENTS.—Beginning
41 July 1, 2022, a governmental entity may not enter into an
42 agreement with a professional sports team that requires a
43 financial commitment by the state or a governmental entity
44 unless the agreement includes:
45 (a) A written verification that the professional sports
46 team will play the United States national anthem at the
47 beginning of each sporting event held at the team’s home venue
48 or other facility controlled by the team for the event.
49 (b) A provision providing that any failure to comply with
50 the written verification required by paragraph (a):
51 1. Constitutes a default of the agreement.
52 2. Immediately subjects the team to any penalty the
53 agreement authorizes for default, which may include requiring
54 the team to repay any money paid to the team by the state or any
55 governmental entity or classifying the team as ineligible to
56 receive further money under the agreement.
57 3. May subject the team to a prohibition on contracting
58 with the state.
59 (3) STRICT ADHERENCE TO DEFAULT PROVISION.—
60 (a) A governmental entity that enters into an agreement
61 with a professional sports team shall strictly enforce the
62 provision required under paragraph (2)(b).
63 (b) If a governmental entity fails to timely enforce the
64 provision required under paragraph (2)(b), the Attorney General
65 may intervene to enforce the provision.
66 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.