Florida Senate - 2022                                    SB 1824
       
       
        
       By Senator Brodeur
       
       
       
       
       
       9-01555B-22                                           20221824__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to mobility funding systems; amending
    3         s. 163.3164, F.S.; defining the terms “mobility fee”
    4         and “mobility plan”; amending s. 163.3180, F.S.;
    5         revising requirements and best practices for local
    6         governments applying concurrency to transportation
    7         facilities; requiring a local government electing to
    8         repeal transportation concurrency to adopt a specified
    9         alternative mobility funding system; creating s.
   10         163.31803, F.S.; specifying prohibited uses of, and
   11         requirements and best practices for, mobility plans by
   12         local governments; providing requirements for a local
   13         government electing to adopt a mobility plan and
   14         mobility fee; providing that mobility fee-based
   15         funding systems must comply with specified
   16         requirements governing impact fees; specifying
   17         authorized and prohibited provisions in mobility
   18         plans; prohibiting the imposition of transportation
   19         impact fees in certain areas; specifying requirements
   20         for, and restrictions on, mobility fees, fee updates,
   21         and fee increases; specifying requirements for the
   22         calculation of mobility fees and person travel demand;
   23         requiring that collected mobility fees be expended or
   24         committed within a specified timeframe or be returned
   25         to the applicant paying the fee; specifying
   26         requirements for, and restrictions on, transportation
   27         impact mitigation by multiple local governments;
   28         providing best practices for certain coordination by
   29         local governments; providing a burden of proof;
   30         prohibiting a court from using a certain standard for
   31         the benefit of a local government; providing
   32         construction; amending s. 212.055, F.S.; conforming a
   33         cross-reference; providing an effective date.
   34          
   35  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   36  
   37         Section 1. Present subsections (32) through (52) of section
   38  163.3164, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (34)
   39  through (54), respectively, and new subsections (32) and (33)
   40  are added to that section, to read:
   41         163.3164 Community Planning Act; definitions.—As used in
   42  this act:
   43         (32) “Mobility fee” means a local governmental fee schedule
   44  established by ordinance and based on the projects included in
   45  the adopted mobility plan.
   46         (33) “Mobility plan” means an integrated land use and
   47  alternative mobility transportation plan adopted into a local
   48  government’s comprehensive plan which promotes compact, mixed
   49  use, and interconnected development served by a multimodal
   50  transportation system.
   51         Section 2. Paragraphs (b), (c), (f), and (i) of subsection
   52  (5) of section 163.3180, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   53         163.3180 Concurrency.—
   54         (5)
   55         (b) A local government shall apply the principles,
   56  guidelines, standards, and strategies provided in its
   57  comprehensive plan governments shall use professionally accepted
   58  studies to evaluate the appropriate levels of service. A local
   59  government governments should consider the number and type of
   60  facilities that will be necessary to meet level-of-service
   61  demands when determining the appropriate levels of service. The
   62  schedule of facilities that are necessary to meet the adopted
   63  level of service shall be reflected in the capital improvement
   64  element.
   65         (c) A local government shall apply the principles,
   66  guidelines, standards, and strategies provided in its
   67  comprehensive plan governments shall use professionally accepted
   68  techniques for measuring levels of service when evaluating
   69  potential impacts of a proposed development.
   70         (f) Local governments are encouraged to develop tools and
   71  techniques to complement the application of transportation
   72  concurrency such as:
   73         1. Adoption of long-term strategies to facilitate
   74  development patterns that support multimodal solutions,
   75  including urban design, and appropriate land use mixes,
   76  including intensity and density.
   77         2. Adoption of an areawide level of service not dependent
   78  on any single road segment or other facility function.
   79         3. Exempting or discounting impacts of locally desired
   80  development, such as development in urban areas, redevelopment,
   81  job creation, and mixed use on the transportation system.
   82         4. Assigning secondary priority to vehicle mobility and
   83  primary priority to ensuring a safe, comfortable, and attractive
   84  pedestrian environment, with convenient interconnection to
   85  transit.
   86         5. Establishing multimodal level of service standards that
   87  rely primarily on nonvehicular modes of transportation where
   88  existing or planned community design will provide adequate level
   89  of mobility.
   90         6. Reducing impact fees or local access fees to promote
   91  development within urban areas, multimodal transportation
   92  districts, and a balance of mixed-use development in certain
   93  areas or districts, or for affordable or workforce housing.
   94         (i) If A local government electing elects to repeal
   95  transportation concurrency shall, it is encouraged to adopt an
   96  alternative mobility funding system as provided in s. 163.31803
   97  that uses one or more of the tools and techniques identified in
   98  paragraph (f). Any alternative mobility funding system adopted
   99  may not be used to deny, time, or phase an application for site
  100  plan approval, plat approval, final subdivision approval,
  101  building permits, or the functional equivalent of such approvals
  102  provided that the developer agrees to pay for the development’s
  103  identified transportation impacts via the funding mechanism
  104  implemented by the local government. The revenue from the
  105  funding mechanism used in the alternative system must be used to
  106  implement the needs of the local government’s plan which serves
  107  as the basis for the fee imposed. A mobility fee-based funding
  108  system must comply with s. 163.31801 governing impact fees. An
  109  alternative system that is not mobility fee-based shall not be
  110  applied in a manner that imposes upon new development any
  111  responsibility for funding an existing transportation deficiency
  112  as defined in paragraph (h).
  113         Section 3. Section 163.31803, Florida Statutes, is created
  114  to read:
  115         163.31803 Mobility plans.—
  116         (1)This section establishes the uniform framework for the
  117  adoption and implementation of a mobility plan as an alternative
  118  to transportation concurrency, as provided in s. 163.3180.
  119         (a)A mobility plan may not be used to deny, time, or phase
  120  an application for site plan approval, plat approval, final
  121  subdivision approval, building permits, or the functional
  122  equivalent of such approvals, provided that the developer agrees
  123  to pay for the development’s identified transportation impacts
  124  via the mobility fees implemented by the local government in the
  125  mobility plan.
  126         (b)A mobility plan must comply with the requirements of s.
  127  163.3180(5)(h), and a local government adopting a mobility plan
  128  is encouraged to apply the criteria in s. 163.3180(5)(f).
  129         (c)A local government electing to adopt a mobility plan
  130  must adopt the mobility plan and mobility fee into its
  131  comprehensive plan.
  132         (d)A local government must adopt a mobility plan and
  133  mobility fee system by ordinance after conducting at least two
  134  public workshops before adoption.
  135         (e)The adoption of the mobility fee ordinance must be
  136  approved by a two-thirds vote of the governing body of the local
  137  government unless the total amount of the new mobility fee is
  138  less than the total of all fees available to be imposed by the
  139  local government on a single development to mitigate the
  140  transportation impact of the new development or redevelopment.
  141         (2)A mobility fee-based funding system must comply with
  142  this section and s. 163.31801, governing impact fees.
  143         (3)A mobility plan may include existing and emerging
  144  transportation technologies that reduce dependence on motor
  145  vehicle travel capacity. The mobility plan may not be based
  146  solely on the addition of motor vehicle capacity; must reflect
  147  modes of travel and emerging transportation technologies
  148  reducing reliance on motor vehicle capacity which are
  149  established in the local government’s comprehensive plan; and
  150  must identify multimodal projects consisting of improvements,
  151  services, and programs which increase capacity needed to meet
  152  future travel demands.
  153         (4)A transportation impact fee may not be imposed within
  154  the area designated for the imposition of a mobility fee by a
  155  local government mobility plan.
  156         (5)A mobility fee, fee update, or fee increase must be
  157  based on the mobility plan, may not rely solely on motor vehicle
  158  capacity, and must be used exclusively to implement the mobility
  159  plan and for no other purpose.
  160         (6)Notwithstanding s. 163.31801(6), if a local government
  161  elects to update an existing mobility fee or adopt a new
  162  mobility fee that replaces one or more existing transportation
  163  mitigation fees after July 1, 2022, it may not increase the fee
  164  by more than a total of 50 percent, which increase must be
  165  implemented over 5 years in equal increments.
  166         (7)A mobility fee must be updated at least once within 5
  167  years after the date of the immediately preceding adoption or
  168  update. A mobility fee not updated within 5 years as provided in
  169  this subsection is expired, void, and of no further force or
  170  effect. A local government considering a mobility fee update may
  171  not consider annual inflation adjustments or any phased-in fees
  172  as the fulfillment of the required update.
  173         (8)A local government adopting a mobility plan and
  174  mobility fee system for transportation mitigation shall comply
  175  with all of the following:
  176         (a) Beginning September 1, 2022, a new mobility fee, fee
  177  update, or fee increase must be based on a mobility plan.
  178         (b) The calculation of mobility fees must be based on all
  179  of the following in addition to the requirements of s.
  180  163.31801:
  181         1. Projected increases in population, employment, and
  182  vehicle and person miles of travel.
  183         2. Areawide road levels of service or quality of service
  184  standards and multimodal quality of service standards for modes
  185  of travel included in the mobility plan.
  186         3. Multimodal projects identified in the mobility plan
  187  which are attributable to, and meet the travel demands of, new
  188  development and redevelopment and which include person
  189  capacities based on service standards and projected costs.
  190         4. An evaluation of current and future travel conditions to
  191  ensure that new development and redevelopment are not charged
  192  for backlog and associated capacity deficiencies.
  193         5. An evaluation of the projected increases in person miles
  194  of travel and person miles of capacity to calculate the fair
  195  share of multimodal capacity and the costs of multimodal
  196  projects which are assignable and attributable to new
  197  development and redevelopment.
  198         6. Person travel demand corresponding to the transportation
  199  impact assigned to uses included in the mobility fee schedule,
  200  based on trip generation, new trips, person trips, person trip
  201  lengths, excluded travel on limited access facilities, and
  202  adjustments for origin and destination.
  203         7.The mobility fee may not be based on recurring
  204  transportation costs.
  205         (c) Person travel demand must be localized, reflecting
  206  differences in the need for multimodal projects and travel
  207  within urban areas based on reduced trip lengths and the
  208  availability of existing transportation infrastructure.
  209         (d) A local government may recognize reductions in person
  210  travel demand for affordable housing and economic development.
  211         (e)Any calculation of person travel demand must ensure
  212  that new development and redevelopment are not assessed twice
  213  for the same transportation impact.
  214         (9)A mobility fee collected for an identified
  215  transportation mitigation improvement must be expended or
  216  committed for an identified project within 6 years after the
  217  date of collection or must be returned to the applicant who paid
  218  the fee. For purposes of this subsection, an expenditure or
  219  improvement is deemed committed if the preliminary design,
  220  right-of-way, or detailed design for the project is completed
  221  and construction will commence within 2 years.
  222         (10)A local government issuing a building permit for
  223  development within its jurisdiction shall develop a mobility
  224  fee, based on the adopted mobility plan, to ensure that the
  225  transportation impacts of the new development or redevelopment
  226  project are fully mitigated. Where multiple local governments
  227  are seeking to implement a mobility fee, an impact fee, or
  228  another transportation mitigation exaction within the boundaries
  229  of a local government, the person travel demand roughly
  230  proportional to the transportation impact of new development and
  231  redevelopment must initially be based on that assessed by the
  232  governmental entity issuing the subject development’s building
  233  permit. Another local government may not charge new development
  234  or redevelopment for the same travel demand, capacity, and
  235  improvements assessed by the governmental entity issuing the
  236  development’s building permits.
  237         (11)Local governments are encouraged to coordinate the
  238  identification of multimodal projects, along with capacity
  239  improvements, full costs, and timing of improvements, included
  240  in mobility plans with other affected local governments to
  241  address intrajurisdictional and extrajurisdictional impacts. The
  242  coordination is encouraged to identify measurable factors
  243  addressing the share of person travel demand which each local
  244  government should assess; the proportion of costs of multimodal
  245  projects to be included in the mobility fee calculations; which
  246  entity will construct the multimodal projects; and, if
  247  necessary, whether the projected future ownership of the
  248  multimodal project and underlying facility should be transferred
  249  from the affected local government to the local government
  250  adopting the mobility fee. Any mobility fee, impact fee, or
  251  other transportation mitigation exaction other than the one
  252  assessed by the local government issuing the building permits
  253  must include the same benefit reductions in person travel demand
  254  for affordable housing, economic development, urban areas, and
  255  mixed-use development.
  256         (12) A local government adopting a mobility fee, and any
  257  other local government assessing a transportation exaction for
  258  intrajurisdictional or extrajurisdictional impacts, has the
  259  burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the
  260  imposition or amount of the fee or exaction meets the
  261  requirements of this section. A court may not use a deferential
  262  standard for the benefit of the local government.
  263         Section 4. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
  264  212.055, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  265         212.055 Discretionary sales surtaxes; legislative intent;
  266  authorization and use of proceeds.—It is the legislative intent
  267  that any authorization for imposition of a discretionary sales
  268  surtax shall be published in the Florida Statutes as a
  269  subsection of this section, irrespective of the duration of the
  270  levy. Each enactment shall specify the types of counties
  271  authorized to levy; the rate or rates which may be imposed; the
  272  maximum length of time the surtax may be imposed, if any; the
  273  procedure which must be followed to secure voter approval, if
  274  required; the purpose for which the proceeds may be expended;
  275  and such other requirements as the Legislature may provide.
  276  Taxable transactions and administrative procedures shall be as
  277  provided in s. 212.054.
  278         (2) LOCAL GOVERNMENT INFRASTRUCTURE SURTAX.—
  279         (d) The proceeds of the surtax authorized by this
  280  subsection and any accrued interest shall be expended by the
  281  school district, within the county and municipalities within the
  282  county, or, in the case of a negotiated joint county agreement,
  283  within another county, to finance, plan, and construct
  284  infrastructure; to acquire any interest in land for public
  285  recreation, conservation, or protection of natural resources or
  286  to prevent or satisfy private property rights claims resulting
  287  from limitations imposed by the designation of an area of
  288  critical state concern; to provide loans, grants, or rebates to
  289  residential or commercial property owners who make energy
  290  efficiency improvements to their residential or commercial
  291  property, if a local government ordinance authorizing such use
  292  is approved by referendum; or to finance the closure of county
  293  owned or municipally owned solid waste landfills that have been
  294  closed or are required to be closed by order of the Department
  295  of Environmental Protection. Any use of the proceeds or interest
  296  for purposes of landfill closure before July 1, 1993, is
  297  ratified. The proceeds and any interest may not be used for the
  298  operational expenses of infrastructure, except that a county
  299  that has a population of fewer than 75,000 and that is required
  300  to close a landfill may use the proceeds or interest for long
  301  term maintenance costs associated with landfill closure.
  302  Counties, as defined in s. 125.011, and charter counties may, in
  303  addition, use the proceeds or interest to retire or service
  304  indebtedness incurred for bonds issued before July 1, 1987, for
  305  infrastructure purposes, and for bonds subsequently issued to
  306  refund such bonds. Any use of the proceeds or interest for
  307  purposes of retiring or servicing indebtedness incurred for
  308  refunding bonds before July 1, 1999, is ratified.
  309         1. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term
  310  “infrastructure” means:
  311         a. Any fixed capital expenditure or fixed capital outlay
  312  associated with the construction, reconstruction, or improvement
  313  of public facilities that have a life expectancy of 5 or more
  314  years, any related land acquisition, land improvement, design,
  315  and engineering costs, and all other professional and related
  316  costs required to bring the public facilities into service. For
  317  purposes of this sub-subparagraph, the term “public facilities”
  318  means facilities as defined in s. 163.3164(41) s. 163.3164(39),
  319  s. 163.3221(13), or s. 189.012(5), and includes facilities that
  320  are necessary to carry out governmental purposes, including, but
  321  not limited to, fire stations, general governmental office
  322  buildings, and animal shelters, regardless of whether the
  323  facilities are owned by the local taxing authority or another
  324  governmental entity.
  325         b. A fire department vehicle, an emergency medical service
  326  vehicle, a sheriff’s office vehicle, a police department
  327  vehicle, or any other vehicle, and the equipment necessary to
  328  outfit the vehicle for its official use or equipment that has a
  329  life expectancy of at least 5 years.
  330         c. Any expenditure for the construction, lease, or
  331  maintenance of, or provision of utilities or security for,
  332  facilities, as defined in s. 29.008.
  333         d. Any fixed capital expenditure or fixed capital outlay
  334  associated with the improvement of private facilities that have
  335  a life expectancy of 5 or more years and that the owner agrees
  336  to make available for use on a temporary basis as needed by a
  337  local government as a public emergency shelter or a staging area
  338  for emergency response equipment during an emergency officially
  339  declared by the state or by the local government under s.
  340  252.38. Such improvements are limited to those necessary to
  341  comply with current standards for public emergency evacuation
  342  shelters. The owner must enter into a written contract with the
  343  local government providing the improvement funding to make the
  344  private facility available to the public for purposes of
  345  emergency shelter at no cost to the local government for a
  346  minimum of 10 years after completion of the improvement, with
  347  the provision that the obligation will transfer to any
  348  subsequent owner until the end of the minimum period.
  349         e. Any land acquisition expenditure for a residential
  350  housing project in which at least 30 percent of the units are
  351  affordable to individuals or families whose total annual
  352  household income does not exceed 120 percent of the area median
  353  income adjusted for household size, if the land is owned by a
  354  local government or by a special district that enters into a
  355  written agreement with the local government to provide such
  356  housing. The local government or special district may enter into
  357  a ground lease with a public or private person or entity for
  358  nominal or other consideration for the construction of the
  359  residential housing project on land acquired pursuant to this
  360  sub-subparagraph.
  361         f. Instructional technology used solely in a school
  362  district’s classrooms. As used in this sub-subparagraph, the
  363  term “instructional technology” means an interactive device that
  364  assists a teacher in instructing a class or a group of students
  365  and includes the necessary hardware and software to operate the
  366  interactive device. The term also includes support systems in
  367  which an interactive device may mount and is not required to be
  368  affixed to the facilities.
  369         2. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term “energy
  370  efficiency improvement” means any energy conservation and
  371  efficiency improvement that reduces consumption through
  372  conservation or a more efficient use of electricity, natural
  373  gas, propane, or other forms of energy on the property,
  374  including, but not limited to, air sealing; installation of
  375  insulation; installation of energy-efficient heating, cooling,
  376  or ventilation systems; installation of solar panels; building
  377  modifications to increase the use of daylight or shade;
  378  replacement of windows; installation of energy controls or
  379  energy recovery systems; installation of electric vehicle
  380  charging equipment; installation of systems for natural gas fuel
  381  as defined in s. 206.9951; and installation of efficient
  382  lighting equipment.
  383         3. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection,
  384  a local government infrastructure surtax imposed or extended
  385  after July 1, 1998, may allocate up to 15 percent of the surtax
  386  proceeds for deposit into a trust fund within the county’s
  387  accounts created for the purpose of funding economic development
  388  projects having a general public purpose of improving local
  389  economies, including the funding of operational costs and
  390  incentives related to economic development. The ballot statement
  391  must indicate the intention to make an allocation under the
  392  authority of this subparagraph.
  393         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.