Bill Text: FL H1467 | 2010 | Regular Session | Comm Sub


Bill Title: Pinellas Park Water Management District Authority

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2010-04-30 - Died in Finance & Tax Council [H1467 Detail]

Download: Florida-2010-H1467-Comm_Sub.html
CS/HB 1467
1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to Pinellas Park Water Management District
3Authority, Pinellas County; amending chapter 2001-325,
4Laws of Florida; reducing the ad valorem millage cap,
5subject to a referendum; specifying that the authority is
6housed within the City of Pinellas Park for administrative
7purposes; increasing and revising membership of the
8authority; increasing the term for each member; deleting
9provisions requiring a secretary and treasurer to be
10elected and the treasurer to post a surety bond; deleting
11a provision relating to authorization under general law
12for the authority to pay insurance premiums for insurance
13benefits to its board members; deleting other provisions
14to conform to changes made by the act; providing for a
15referendum; providing effective dates.
16
17Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19 Section 1. Section 1, and sections 3 and 8 of section 3,
20of chapter 2001-325, Laws of Florida, are amended to read:
21 Section 1. Pursuant to section 189.429, Florida Statutes,
22this act constitutes the codification of all special acts
23relating to Pinellas Park Water Management District Authority.
24It is the intent of the Legislature to provide a single,
25comprehensive special act charter for the authority including
26all current legislative authority granted to it by its several
27legislative enactments and any additional authority granted by
28this act and chapter 189, Florida Statutes, as it may be amended
29from time to time. It is further the intent of this act to
30preserve all authority powers, including the power to annually
31assess and levy against the taxable property in the district a
32tax not to exceed 1.5 3 mills on the dollar of assessed
33valuation.
34 Section 3. Pinellas Park Water Management District
35Authority.-
36 (1) The Pinellas Park Water Management District Authority
37was created as the Pinellas Park Water Management District by
38special act of the Legislature in 1975. Its charter may be
39amended only by special act of the Legislature. The authority
40shall be housed within the City of Pinellas Park for
41administrative purposes.
42 (2) The governing body of the authority shall consist of
43five three members, serving and selected as provided herein.
44Three members shall be selected by the Mayor and City Council of
45the City of Pinellas Park from the members of the council, one
46member shall be selected by the Mayor and City Council of the
47City of St. Petersburg from among the members of the council,
48Two members shall be appointed by the City Council of Pinellas
49Park and one member shall be selected appointed by the Pinellas
50County Board of County Commissioners from the members of the
51commission. The term of each appointed member shall be for 4 3
52years, or the balance of the member's term as mayor, city
53council member, or county commission member under the Charter of
54the City of Pinellas Park, the Charter of Pinellas County, or
55the Charter of the City of St. Petersburg, respectively. Each
56selected appointed member shall hold office until his or her
57successor has been selected appointed and qualified. A vacancy
58occurring during a term shall be filled only for the balance of
59the unexpired term. If any selection is not made by the
60municipality as provided herein, the county commissioners shall
61appoint an eligible person to the authority with like effect as
62if the selection were made by the municipality. Any member of
63the authority shall be eligible for reappointment.
64 (3) Each appointed member of the authority shall be a
65person who is a qualified elector of the district with an
66outstanding reputation for civic pride, interest, integrity,
67responsibility, and business ability. No person who is an
68officer or employee of any city or of the county in any
69capacity, except elected officials, shall be an appointed member
70of the authority.
71 (3)(4) The authority shall annually elect one of its
72members as chair of the authority and one as a vice chair. At
73the same time, a secretary and treasurer shall be elected who
74may or may not be members of the authority, and they shall serve
75at the will of the authority. The treasurer shall post a good
76and sufficient surety bond in an amount approved by the Board of
77County Commissioners. Three Two members shall constitute a
78quorum and the vote of two members shall be necessary for any
79action taken by the authority. No vacancy in the authority shall
80impair the right of a quorum of the authority to exercise all of
81the rights and perform all of the duties of the authority. Upon
82the effective date of his or her appointment or, as soon
83thereafter as possible, each appointed member of the authority
84shall enter upon his or her duties.
85 (4)(5) The district may shall appoint an engineer who
86shall be a person of recognized ability and experience to serve
87at the pleasure of the authority. The district may also appoint
88or employ such employees as may be necessary for the proper
89performance of its duties and functions, and may determine the
90qualifications and fix the compensation of such persons; also,
91the authority may contract for the services of attorneys,
92engineers, consultants, and agents for any purpose of the
93authority, including engineering, management feasibility, and
94other studies concerning the acquisition, construction,
95extension, operation, maintenance, regulation, consolidation,
96and financing of the system in the area.
97 (5)(6) Members of the authority shall be entitled to
98receive from the authority their traveling and other necessary
99expenses incurred in connection with the business of the
100authority, as provided in section 112.061, Florida Statutes, but
101they shall receive no salaries or other compensation, with the
102exception of the benefits described in subsection (7). During
103the unexpired term of any member of the authority, that member
104may be removed for misconduct, malfeasance, misfeasance, or
105nonfeasance in office by a two-thirds vote of both appointing
106governing bodies.
107 (7) In accordance with section 112.08, Florida Statutes,
108the authority may provide and pay all or part of the premiums
109out of its available funds for insurance benefits to its board
110members that are equivalent to the insurance benefits provided
111to the authority's employees under the authority's group
112insurance plan.
113 Section 8. Independent special district taxation.-The
114Pinellas Park Water Management District shall be deemed an
115independent special district and is authorized to levy ad
116valorem tax on the taxable real property in the district at a
117rate sufficient to produce an amount that may be necessary for
118the purposes of this act, not to exceed 1.5 3 mills, provided
119such millage limit is approved by a vote of the electors who are
120not wholly exempt from taxation. Property taxes determined and
121levied under this section shall be certified by the authority to
122the county auditor, extended, assessed, and collected in like
123manner as provided by law for regular property taxes for the
124county or municipalities and in accordance with chapter 200,
125Florida Statutes. The proceeds under this section shall be
126remitted by the tax collector to the treasurer of the authority
127who shall credit them to the funds of the authority for use of
128the purposes of this law. At any time after making a tax levy
129under this section and certifying the same to the county, the
130authority may issue tax anticipation notes of indebtedness in
131anticipation of the collection of such taxes. If property in the
132district is not receiving or will not receive any benefit from
133the district's works or activities, such property may be removed
134from the district by amendment to section 5 of the district's
135enabling act, pursuant to the requirements of section 11.02,
136Florida Statutes, and section 10, Article III of the State
137Constitution.
138 Section 2. The amendments to section 1, and section 8 of
139section 3, of chapter 2001-325, Laws of Florida, which lower the
140cap on the levy of ad valorem taxation to 1.5 mills shall take
141effect only upon approval to lower the millage cap by a majority
142vote of those qualified electors of the Pinellas Park Water
143Management District Authority voting in a referendum to be held
144by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners in
145conjunction with the November 2010 general election. The
146question presented to the electors voting in that referendum
147shall be expressed as an option to approve either the lowering
148of the millage cap to 1.5 mills or the retaining of the current
149millage cap of 3 mills.
150 Section 3. Except as otherwise provided by this act, this
151act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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