Florida Senate - 2022                                    SB 1524
       
       
        
       By Senator Boyd
       
       
       
       
       
       21-01543-22                                           20221524__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to recreation districts; amending s.
    3         418.21, F.S.; providing that a recreation district may
    4         choose to have a governing body elected by the
    5         property owners of the district; requiring a
    6         municipality or county ordinance to specify who may
    7         vote in the governing body election; amending s.
    8         418.22, F.S.; removing limitations on the authority of
    9         a recreation district to negotiate for the sale of
   10         certain bonds; providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Subsections (1) and (2) of section 418.21,
   15  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   16         418.21 Governing body.—
   17         (1) The governing body of a recreation district shall be
   18  determined by ordinance of the municipality or county that
   19  created the district and must be either:
   20         (a) A five-member or larger board of supervisors elected
   21  from among the property owners or residents of the district. For
   22  a board elected by the property owners of the district, voting
   23  is limited to one owner for each residential lot;, or
   24         (b) The governing body of the municipality or county that
   25  created the district.
   26         (2)(a) If the governing body is a board of supervisors:,
   27         (a) The ordinance must specify the date of the election and
   28  which must provide that each property owners owner or residents
   29  resident in the district have has the right to vote in the
   30  election.
   31         (b) The ordinance may stagger the also provide for the
   32  staggering of terms of the supervisors or establish. The
   33  ordinance may also provide for the establishment of designated
   34  geographic areas within the district from each of which are
   35  elected one or more members of the board of supervisors are
   36  elected to represent that area, provided the ordinance is made
   37  contingent on approval by a majority vote of the electors in
   38  each designated area.
   39         (c)(b)The members of the board must of supervisors shall
   40  serve without compensation.
   41         Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 418.22, Florida
   42  Statutes, is amended to read:
   43         418.22 Powers of recreation districts.—The charter of a
   44  recreation district may grant to the recreation district the
   45  following powers and all further or additional powers as the
   46  governing body of the municipality or county establishing the
   47  district may deem necessary or useful in order to exercise the
   48  powers for which provision is hereinafter made. The powers which
   49  may be granted by such charter include the following:
   50         (4) To issue bonds, secured by ad valorem taxes or by
   51  pledge of both such taxes and other revenues of the district, if
   52  approved at a referendum held in such district, and to levy and
   53  collect ad valorem taxes, without limitation or with such
   54  limitation as may be imposed by charter, on all real property
   55  subject to city taxation within such district in order to pay
   56  the principal of and interest on such bonds as the same
   57  respectively fall due or to accumulate a sinking fund for the
   58  payment of principal and interest. The referendum required by
   59  this subsection section may be held on the same day as any other
   60  referendum related to the district; provided that such bonds
   61  shall bear interest at a rate pursuant to s. 215.84 and be sold
   62  at public sale. In the event an offer of an issue of bonds at
   63  public sale produces no bid, or in the event all bids received
   64  are rejected, The district may sell the bonds at public sale or
   65  is authorized to negotiate for the sale of such bonds under such
   66  rates and terms that comply with state law and as are
   67  acceptable; provided that the no such bonds may not shall be
   68  sold or delivered on terms less favorable than the terms
   69  contained in any bids rejected at a the public sale thereof or
   70  the terms contained in a the notice of public sale if no bids
   71  were received at such public sale.
   72         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.