Florida Senate - 2025                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1242
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì4874062Î487406                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  04/21/2025           .                                
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       The Committee on Rules (McClain) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (232314) 
    2  
    3         Delete lines 5 - 222
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Subsections (2), (3), and (4) of section
    6  163.356, Florida Statutes, are amended to read
    7         163.356 Creation of community redevelopment agency.—
    8         (2)(a) When the governing body adopts a resolution
    9  declaring the need for a community redevelopment agency, that
   10  body shall, by ordinance, declare itself to be an agency. All
   11  the rights, powers, duties, privileges, and immunities vested by
   12  this part in an agency will be vested in the governing body,
   13  subject to all responsibilities and liabilities imposed or
   14  incurred. The members of the governing body shall be the members
   15  of the agency, but such members constitute the head of a legal
   16  entity, separate, distinct, and independent from the governing
   17  body of the county or municipality. Members of an agency shall
   18  receive no compensation for services, but may be entitled to the
   19  necessary expenses incurred in the discharge of duties,
   20  including travel expenses.
   21         (b) A governing body that consists of five members may
   22  appoint two additional persons to act as members of the
   23  community redevelopment agency. The term of office of these
   24  additional members is 4 years, except that the first person
   25  appointed shall initially serve a term of 2 years appoint a
   26  board of commissioners of the community redevelopment agency,
   27  which shall consist of not fewer than five or more than nine
   28  commissioners. The terms of office of the commissioners shall be
   29  for 4 years, except that three of the members first appointed
   30  shall be designated to serve terms of 1, 2, and 3 years,
   31  respectively, from the date of their appointments, and all other
   32  members shall be designated to serve for terms of 4 years from
   33  the date of their appointments. A vacancy occurring during a
   34  term shall be filled for the unexpired term.
   35         (c) As provided in an interlocal agreement between the
   36  governing body that created the agency and one or more taxing
   37  authorities, one or more members of the board of commissioners
   38  of the agency may be representatives of a taxing authority,
   39  including members of that taxing authority’s governing body,
   40  whose membership on the board of commissioners of the agency
   41  would be considered an additional duty of office as a member of
   42  the taxing authority governing body.
   43         (d) This subsection does not amend, or require the
   44  amendment of, the structure, membership, or bylaws of any board
   45  of commissioners of an agency in existence on October 1, 2025.
   46         (3)(a) A commissioner shall receive no compensation for
   47  services, but is entitled to the necessary expenses, including
   48  travel expenses, incurred in the discharge of duties. Each
   49  commissioner shall hold office until his or her successor has
   50  been appointed and has qualified. A certificate of the
   51  appointment or reappointment of any commissioner shall be filed
   52  with the clerk of the county or municipality, and such
   53  certificate is conclusive evidence of the due and proper
   54  appointment of such commissioner.
   55         (b) The powers of a community redevelopment agency shall be
   56  exercised by the commissioners thereof. A majority of the
   57  commissioners constitutes a quorum for the purpose of conducting
   58  business and exercising the powers of the agency and for all
   59  other purposes. Action may be taken by the agency upon a vote of
   60  a majority of the commissioners present, unless in any case the
   61  bylaws require a larger number. Any person may be appointed as
   62  commissioner if he or she resides or is engaged in business,
   63  which means owning a business, practicing a profession, or
   64  performing a service for compensation, or serving as an officer
   65  or director of a corporation or other business entity so
   66  engaged, within the area of operation of the agency, which shall
   67  be coterminous with the area of operation of the county or
   68  municipality, and is otherwise eligible for such appointment
   69  under this part.
   70         (c) The governing body of the county or municipality shall
   71  designate a chair and vice chair from among the commissioners.
   72  An agency may employ an executive director, technical experts,
   73  and such other agents and employees, permanent and temporary, as
   74  it requires, and determine their qualifications, duties, and
   75  compensation. For such legal service as it requires, an agency
   76  may employ or retain its own counsel and legal staff.
   77         (d) An agency authorized to transact business and exercise
   78  powers under this part shall file with the governing body the
   79  report required pursuant to s. 163.371(2).
   80         (e) At any time after the creation of a community
   81  redevelopment agency, the governing body of the county or
   82  municipality may appropriate to the agency such amounts as the
   83  governing body deems necessary for the administrative expenses
   84  and overhead of the agency, including the development and
   85  implementation of community policing innovations.
   86         (4) The governing body may remove a commissioner for
   87  inefficiency, neglect of duty, or misconduct in office only
   88  after a hearing and only if he or she has been given a copy of
   89  the charges at least 10 days prior to such hearing and has had
   90  an opportunity to be heard in person or by counsel.
   91         Section 2. Section 163.357, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
   92         Section 3. Subsections (1), (3), and (4) of section
   93  163.361, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   94         163.361 Modification of community redevelopment plans.—
   95         (1) If at any time after the approval of a community
   96  redevelopment plan by the governing body it becomes necessary or
   97  desirable to amend or modify such plan, the governing body may
   98  amend such plan upon the recommendation of the agency. The
   99  agency recommendation to amend or modify a redevelopment plan
  100  may include a change in the boundaries of the redevelopment area
  101  to add land to or exclude land from the redevelopment area, or
  102  may include the development and implementation of community
  103  policing innovations.
  104         (3)(a)The governing body may not adopt In addition to the
  105  requirements of s. 163.346, and prior to the adoption of any
  106  modification to a community redevelopment plan that expands the
  107  boundaries of the community redevelopment area or extends the
  108  time certain set forth in the redevelopment plan as required by
  109  s. 163.362(10), the agency shall report such proposed
  110  modification to each taxing authority in writing or by an oral
  111  presentation, or both, regarding such proposed modification.
  112         (b) For any community redevelopment agency that was not
  113  created pursuant to a delegation of authority under s. 163.410
  114  by a county that has adopted a home rule charter and that
  115  modifies its adopted community redevelopment plan in a manner
  116  that expands the boundaries of the redevelopment area after
  117  October 1, 2006, the following additional procedures are
  118  required prior to adoption by the governing body of a modified
  119  community redevelopment plan:
  120         1. Within 30 days after receipt of any report of a proposed
  121  modification that expands the boundaries of the redevelopment
  122  area, the county may provide notice by registered mail to the
  123  governing body of the municipality and the community
  124  redevelopment agency that the county has competing policy goals
  125  and plans for the public funds the county would be required to
  126  deposit to the community redevelopment trust fund under the
  127  proposed modification to the community redevelopment plan.
  128         2. If the notice required in subparagraph 1. is timely
  129  provided, the governing body of the county and the governing
  130  body of the municipality that created the community
  131  redevelopment agency shall schedule and hold a joint hearing co
  132  chaired by the chair of the governing body of the county and the
  133  mayor of the municipality, with the agenda to be set by the
  134  chair of the governing body of the county, at which the
  135  competing policy goals for the public funds shall be discussed.
  136  For those community redevelopment agencies for which the board
  137  of commissioners of the community redevelopment agency are
  138  comprised as specified in s. 163.356(2), a designee of the
  139  community redevelopment agency shall participate in the joint
  140  meeting as a nonvoting member. Any such hearing shall be held
  141  within 90 days after receipt by the county of the recommended
  142  modification of the adopted community redevelopment plan. Prior
  143  to the joint public hearing, the county may propose an
  144  alternative modified community redevelopment plan that meets the
  145  requirements of s. 163.360 to address the conditions identified
  146  in the resolution making a finding of necessity required under
  147  s. 163.355. If such an alternative modified redevelopment plan
  148  is proposed by the county, such plan shall be delivered to the
  149  governing body of the municipality that created the community
  150  redevelopment agency and the executive director or other officer
  151  of the community redevelopment agency by registered mail at
  152  least 30 days prior to holding the joint meeting.
  153         3. If the notice required in subparagraph 1. is timely
  154  provided, the municipality may not proceed with the adoption of
  155  a modified plan until 30 days after the joint hearing unless the
  156  governing body of the county has failed to schedule or a
  157  majority of the members of the governing body of the county have
  158  failed to attend the joint hearing within the required 90-day
  159  period.
  160         4. Notwithstanding the time requirements established in
  161  subparagraphs 2. and 3., the county and the municipality may at
  162  any time voluntarily use the dispute resolution process
  163  established in chapter 164 to attempt to resolve any competing
  164  policy goals between the county and municipality related to the
  165  community redevelopment agency. Nothing in this subparagraph
  166  grants the county or the municipality the authority to require
  167  the other local government to participate in the dispute
  168  resolution process.
  169         (4) A modification to a community redevelopment plan that
  170  includes a change in the boundaries of the redevelopment area to
  171  add land must be supported by a resolution as provided in s.
  172  163.355.
  173         Section 4. Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section
  174  163.370, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (d) is
  175  added to subsection (3) of that section, to read:
  176         163.370 Powers; counties and municipalities; community
  177  redevelopment agencies.—
  178         (2) Every county and municipality shall have all the powers
  179  necessary or convenient to carry out and effectuate the purposes
  180  and provisions of this part, including the following powers in
  181  addition to others herein granted:
  182         (c) To undertake and carry out community redevelopment and
  183  related activities within the community redevelopment area,
  184  which may include:
  185         1. Acquisition of property within a slum area or a blighted
  186  area by purchase, lease, option, gift, grant, bequest, devise,
  187  or other voluntary method of acquisition.
  188         2. Demolition and removal of buildings and improvements.
  189         3. Installation, construction, or reconstruction of
  190  streets, utilities, parks, playgrounds, public areas of major
  191  hotels that are constructed in support of convention centers,
  192  including meeting rooms, banquet facilities, parking garages,
  193  lobbies, and passageways, and other improvements necessary for
  194  carrying out in the community redevelopment area the community
  195  redevelopment objectives of this part in accordance with the
  196  community redevelopment plan.
  197         4. Disposition of any property acquired in the community
  198  redevelopment area at its fair value as provided in s. 163.380
  199  for uses in accordance with the community redevelopment plan.
  200         5. Carrying out plans for a program of voluntary or
  201  compulsory repair and rehabilitation of buildings or other
  202  improvements in accordance with the community redevelopment
  203  plan.
  204         6. Acquisition by purchase, lease, option, gift, grant,
  205  bequest, devise, or other voluntary method of acquisition of
  206  real property in the community redevelopment area which, under
  207  the community redevelopment plan, is to be repaired or
  208  rehabilitated for dwelling use or related facilities, repair or
  209  rehabilitation of the structures for guidance purposes, and
  210  resale of the property.
  211         7. Acquisition by purchase, lease, option, gift, grant,
  212  bequest, devise, or other voluntary method of acquisition of any
  213  other real property in the community redevelopment area when
  214  necessary to eliminate unhealthful, unsanitary, or unsafe
  215  conditions; lessen density; eliminate obsolete or other uses
  216  detrimental to the public welfare; or otherwise to remove or
  217  prevent the spread of blight or deterioration or to provide land
  218  for needed public facilities.
  219         8. Acquisition, without regard to any requirement that the
  220  area be a slum or blighted area, of air rights in an area
  221  consisting principally of land in highways, railway or subway
  222  tracks, bridge or tunnel entrances, or other similar facilities
  223  which have a blighting influence on the surrounding area and
  224  over which air rights sites are to be developed for the
  225  elimination of such blighting influences and for the provision
  226  of housing (and related facilities and uses) designed
  227  specifically for, and limited to, families and individuals of
  228  low or moderate income.
  229         9. Acquisition by purchase, lease, option, gift, grant,
  230  bequest, devise, or other voluntary method of acquisition of
  231  property in unincorporated enclaves surrounded by the boundaries
  232  of a community redevelopment area when it is determined
  233  necessary by the agency to accomplish the community
  234  redevelopment plan.
  235         10. Construction of foundations and platforms necessary for
  236  the provision of air rights sites of housing (and related
  237  facilities and uses) designed specifically for, and limited to,
  238  families and individuals of low or moderate income.
  239         (3) The following projects may not be paid for or financed
  240  by increment revenues:
  241         (d) Sponsorship, whether direct or indirect, of concerts,
  242  festivals, holiday events, parades, or similar activities.
  243         Section 5. Section 163.3755, Florida Statutes, is amended
  244  to read:
  245         163.3755 Termination of community redevelopment agencies.—
  246         (1) A community redevelopment agency in existence on
  247  October 1, 2019, shall terminate on the time certain for
  248  completing all redevelopment expiration date provided in the
  249  agency’s charter as required by s. 163.362(10) or as may have
  250  been extended by ordinance or resolution prior to May 1, 2025 on
  251  October 1, 2019, or on September 30, 2039, whichever is earlier,
  252  unless the governing body of the county or municipality that
  253  created the community redevelopment agency approves its
  254  continued existence by a majority vote of the members of the
  255  governing body.
  256         (2)(a) If the governing body of the county or municipality
  257  that created the community redevelopment agency does not approve
  258  its continued existence by a majority vote of the governing body
  259  members, A community redevelopment agency with outstanding bonds
  260  as of October 1, 2025 2019, that do not mature until after the
  261  time certain for completing all redevelopment termination date
  262  of the agency or September 30, 2039, whichever is earlier,
  263  remains in existence until the date the bonds mature.
  264         (b) A community redevelopment agency operating under this
  265  subsection on or after September 30, 2039, may not extend the
  266  maturity date of any outstanding bonds beyond the time certain
  267  for completing all redevelopment.