Bill Text: FL H0859 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Broward County

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-07 - Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration [H0859 Detail]

Download: Florida-2011-H0859-Introduced.html

---

HB 859

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to Broward County; authorizing
3	municipalities in Broward County to levy special
4	assessments to fund law enforcement services; providing
5	legislative findings; providing for a reduction in ad
6	valorem taxes when a law enforcement special assessment is
7	levied pursuant to this act; providing an effective date.
8
9	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11	Section 1.  Legislative findings.-Broward County is the
12	second most populous county in the state, with 31 municipalities
13	and little unincorporated area within the developed portion of
14	the county. Law enforcement is a vital municipal service,
15	because it protects both persons and property from crime. In
16	urban areas such as Broward County, property crimes, including
17	burglary, vandalism, trespassing, and arson, have a dramatic
18	impact on property owners and the value of real property. Law
19	enforcement services help prevent these significant property
20	crimes and, thus, prevent the loss of property values and use.
21	Moreover, after a property crime occurs, law enforcement efforts
22	to solve such crimes prevent additional property crimes from
23	occurring in the community. Finally, law enforcement provides
24	protection for unoccupied properties and prevents additional
25	losses to property owners, especially in times of economic
26	distress. As a result, the Legislature finds that there is a
27	logical relationship between law enforcement services
28	attributable to the protection of real property, the prevention
29	of real property crimes, and the benefit to real property.
30	Section 2.  A municipality may fund the costs of law
31	enforcement services, in whole or in part, through the levy of a
32	law enforcement services special assessment, provided the
33	governing body of the municipality:
34	(1)  Adopts a law enforcement services assessment ordinance
35	that authorizes the special assessment, requires the special
36	assessment to be levied by resolution each year, and apportions
37	the assessable costs among the property based on a methodology
38	that charges a parcel a rate that is reasonably proportioned to
39	its benefits; and
40	(2)  In the initial year of implementation, reduces its
41	total ad valorem tax revenue, as projected for the upcoming
42	fiscal year and calculated as if there were no law enforcement
43	services assessment, by an amount equal to the amount of the law
44	enforcement services assessment, except that no municipality
45	shall be required to reduce its millage rate, excluding millage
46	approved by a vote of the electors and millage pledged to repay
47	bonds, by more than 75 percent. Thereafter, such assessment may
48	be increased only in the same manner as ad valorem revenue is
49	permitted to be increased pursuant to section 200.065, Florida
50	Statutes. The initial reduction in millage rate, excluding
51	millage approved by a vote of the electors and millage pledged
52	to repay bonds, shall be limited to no more than 50 percent if
53	the implementing resolution is adopted by an extraordinary
54	majority vote of the governing body.
55	Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.