The Florida Senate

420.9071  Definitions.--As used in ss. 420.907-420.9079, the term:

(1)  "Adjusted for family size" means adjusted in a manner that results in an income eligibility level that is lower for households having fewer than four people, or higher for households having more than four people, than the base income eligibility determined as provided in subsection (19), subsection (20), or subsection (28), based upon a formula established by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

(2)  "Affordable" means that monthly rents or monthly mortgage payments including taxes and insurance do not exceed 30 percent of that amount which represents the percentage of the median annual gross income for the households as indicated in subsection (19), subsection (20), or subsection (28). However, it is not the intent to limit an individual household's ability to devote more than 30 percent of its income for housing, and housing for which a household devotes more than 30 percent of its income shall be deemed affordable if the first institutional mortgage lender is satisfied that the household can afford mortgage payments in excess of the 30 percent benchmark.

(3)  "Affordable housing advisory committee" means the committee appointed by the governing body of a county or eligible municipality for the purpose of recommending specific initiatives and incentives to encourage or facilitate affordable housing as provided in s. 420.9076

(4)  "Annual gross income" means annual income as defined under the Section 8 housing assistance payments programs in 24 C.F.R. part 5; annual income as reported under the census long form for the recent available decennial census; or adjusted gross income as defined for purposes of reporting under Internal Revenue Service Form 1040 for individual federal annual income tax purposes. Counties and eligible municipalities shall calculate income by annualizing verified sources of income for the household as the amount of income to be received in a household during the 12 months following the effective date of the determination.

(5)  "Award" means a loan, grant, or subsidy funded wholly or partially by the local housing assistance trust fund.

(6)  "Community-based organization" means a nonprofit organization that has among its purposes the provision of affordable housing to persons who have special needs or have very low income, low income, or moderate income within a designated area, which may include a municipality, a county, or more than one municipality or county, and maintains, through a minimum of one-third representation on the organization's governing board, accountability to housing program beneficiaries and residents of the designated area. A community housing development organization established pursuant to 24 C.F.R. part 92.2 and a community development corporation created pursuant to chapter 290 are examples of community-based organizations.

(7)  "Corporation" means the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.

(8)  "Eligible housing" means any real and personal property located within the county or the eligible municipality which is designed and intended for the primary purpose of providing decent, safe, and sanitary residential units that are designed to meet the standards of chapter 553 for home ownership or rental for eligible persons as designated by each county or eligible municipality participating in the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program.

(9)  "Eligible municipality" means a municipality that is eligible for federal community development block grant entitlement moneys as an entitlement community identified in 24 C.F.R. s. 570, subpart D, Entitlement Grants, or a nonentitlement municipality that is receiving local housing distribution funds under an interlocal agreement that provides for possession and administrative control of funds to be transferred to the nonentitlement municipality. An eligible municipality that defers its participation in community development block grants does not affect its eligibility for participation in the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program.

(10)  "Eligible person" or "eligible household" means one or more natural persons or a family determined by the county or eligible municipality to be of very low income, low income, or moderate income according to the income limits adjusted to family size published annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development based upon the annual gross income of the household.

(11)  "Eligible sponsor" means a person or a private or public for-profit or not-for-profit entity that applies for an award under the local housing assistance plan for the purpose of providing eligible housing for eligible persons.

(12)  "Grant" means an award from the local housing assistance trust fund to an eligible sponsor or eligible person to partially assist in the construction, rehabilitation, or financing of eligible housing or to provide the cost of tenant or ownership qualifications without requirement for repayment as long as the condition of award is maintained.

(13)  "Loan" means an award from the local housing assistance trust fund to an eligible sponsor or eligible person to partially finance the acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of eligible housing with requirement for repayment or provision for forgiveness of repayment if the condition of the award is maintained.

(14)  "Local housing assistance plan" means a concise description of the local housing assistance strategies and local housing incentive strategies adopted by local government resolution with an explanation of the way in which the program meets the requirements of ss. 420.907-420.9079 and corporation rule.

(15)  "Local housing assistance strategies" means the housing construction, rehabilitation, repair, or finance program implemented by a participating county or eligible municipality with the local housing distribution or other funds deposited into the local housing assistance trust fund.

(16)  "Local housing incentive strategies" means local regulatory reform or incentive programs to encourage or facilitate affordable housing production, which include at a minimum, assurance that permits as defined in s. 163.3164(7) and (8) for affordable housing projects are expedited to a greater degree than other projects; an ongoing process for review of local policies, ordinances, regulations, and plan provisions that increase the cost of housing prior to their adoption; and a schedule for implementing the incentive strategies. Local housing incentive strategies may also include other regulatory reforms, such as those enumerated in s. 420.9076 and adopted by the local governing body.

(17)  "Local housing distributions" means the proceeds of the taxes collected under chapter 201 deposited into the Local Government Housing Trust Fund and distributed to counties and eligible municipalities participating in the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program pursuant to s. 420.9073

(18)  "Local housing partnership" means the implementation of the local housing assistance plan in a manner that involves the applicable county or eligible municipality, lending institutions, housing builders and developers, real estate professionals, advocates for low-income persons, community-based housing and service organizations, and providers of professional services relating to affordable housing. The term includes initiatives to provide support services for housing program beneficiaries such as training to prepare persons for the responsibility of homeownership, counseling of tenants, and the establishing of support services such as day care, health care, and transportation.

(19)  "Low-income person" or "low-income household" means one or more natural persons or a family that has a total annual gross household income that does not exceed 80 percent of the median annual income adjusted for family size for households within the metropolitan statistical area, the county, or the nonmetropolitan median for the state, whichever amount is greatest. With respect to rental units, the low-income household's annual income at the time of initial occupancy may not exceed 80 percent of the area's median income adjusted for family size. While occupying the rental unit, a low-income household's annual income may increase to an amount not to exceed 140 percent of 80 percent of the area's median income adjusted for family size.

(20)  "Moderate-income person" or "moderate-income household" means one or more natural persons or a family that has a total annual gross household income that does not exceed 120 percent of the median annual income adjusted for family size for households within the metropolitan statistical area, the county, or the nonmetropolitan median for the state, whichever is greatest. With respect to rental units, the moderate-income household's annual income at the time of initial occupancy may not exceed 120 percent of the area's median income adjusted for family size. While occupying the rental unit, a moderate-income household's annual income may increase to an amount not to exceed 140 percent of 120 percent of the area's median income adjusted for family size.

(21)  "Personal property" means major appliances, including a freestanding refrigerator or stove, to be identified on the encumbering documents.

(22)  "Plan amendment" means the addition or deletion of a local housing assistance strategy or local housing incentive strategy. Plan amendments must at all times maintain consistency with program requirements and must be submitted to the corporation for review pursuant to s. 420.9072(3). Technical or clarifying revisions may not be considered plan amendments but must be transmitted to the corporation for purposes of notification.

(23)  "Population" means the latest official state estimate of population certified pursuant to s. 186.901 prior to the beginning of the state fiscal year.

(24)  "Program income" means the proceeds derived from interest earned on or investment of the local housing distribution and other funds deposited into the local housing assistance trust fund, proceeds from loan repayments, recycled funds, and all other income derived from use of funds deposited in the local housing assistance trust fund. It does not include recaptured funds as defined in subsection (25).

(25)  "Recaptured funds" means funds that are recouped by a county or eligible municipality in accordance with the recapture provisions of its local housing assistance plan pursuant to s. 420.9075(5)(g) from eligible persons or eligible sponsors who default on the terms of a grant award or loan award.

(26)  "Rent subsidies" means ongoing monthly rental assistance. The term does not include initial assistance to tenants, such as grants or loans for security and utility deposits.

(27)  "Sales price" or "value" means, in the case of acquisition of an existing or newly constructed unit, the amount on the executed sales contract. For eligible persons who are building a unit on land that they own, the sales price is determined by an appraisal performed by a state-certified appraiser. The appraisal must include the value of the land and the improvements using the after-construction value of the property and must be dated within 12 months of the date construction is to commence. The sales price of any unit must include the value of the land in order to qualify as eligible housing as defined in subsection (8). In the case of rehabilitation or emergency repair of an existing unit that does not create additional living space, sales price or value means the value of the real property, as determined by an appraisal performed by a state-certified appraiser and dated within 12 months of the date construction is to commence or the assessed value of the real property as determined by the county property appraiser. In the case of rehabilitation of an existing unit that includes the addition of new living space, sales price or value means the value of the real property, as determined by an appraisal performed by a state-certified appraiser and dated within 12 months of the date construction is to commence or the assessed value of the real property as determined by the county property appraiser, plus the cost of the improvements in either case.

(28)  "Very-low-income person" or "very-low-income household" means one or more natural persons or a family that has a total annual gross household income that does not exceed 50 percent of the median annual income adjusted for family size for households within the metropolitan statistical area, the county, or the nonmetropolitan median for the state, whichever is greatest. With respect to rental units, the very-low-income household's annual income at the time of initial occupancy may not exceed 50 percent of the area's median income adjusted for family size. While occupying the rental unit, a very-low-income household's annual income may increase to an amount not to exceed 140 percent of 50 percent of the area's median income adjusted for family size.

History.--s. 32, ch. 92-317; s. 12, ch. 93-181; s. 3, ch. 96-332; s. 1046, ch. 97-103; s. 34, ch. 97-167; s. 14, ch. 98-56; s. 14, ch. 2000-353; s. 21, ch. 2006-69.