Bill Text: FL S0336 | 2013 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Tourist Development Tax
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (? 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2013-06-17 - Chapter No. 2013-168 [S0336 Detail]
Download: Florida-2013-S0336-Enrolled.html
ENROLLED 2013 Legislature CS for CS for SB 336, 1st Engrossed 2013336er 1 2 An act relating to the tourist development tax; 3 amending s. 125.0104, F.S.; clarifying that the 4 proceeds of the tax may be used for the benefit of 5 certain museums or aquariums; clarifying that the tax 6 automatically expires upon the retirement of all bonds 7 issued by the county for financing certain facilities; 8 providing an effective date. 9 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11 12 Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (5) and 13 subsection (7) of section 125.0104, Florida Statutes, are 14 amended to read: 15 125.0104 Tourist development tax; procedure for levying; 16 authorized uses; referendum; enforcement.— 17 (5) AUTHORIZED USES OF REVENUE.— 18 (a) All tax revenues received pursuant to this section by a 19 county imposing the tourist development tax shall be used by 20 that county for the following purposes only: 21 1. To acquire, construct, extend, enlarge, remodel, repair, 22 improve, maintain, operate, or promote one or more: 23 a. Publicly owned and operated convention centers, sports 24 stadiums, sports arenas, coliseums, or auditoriums within the 25 boundaries of the county or subcounty special taxing district in 26 which the tax is levied; or,27 b. Aquariums,or museums that are publicly owned and 28 operated or owned and operated by not-for-profit organizations 29 and open to the public, within the boundaries of the county or 30 subcounty special taxing district in which the tax is levied. 31 2. To promoteTax revenues received pursuant to this32section may also be used for promotion ofzoological parks that 33 are publicly owned and operated or owned and operated by not 34 for-profit organizations and open to the public;. However, these35purposes may be implemented through service contracts and leases36with lessees with sufficient expertise or financial capability37to operate such facilities;38 3.2.To promote and advertise tourism in this statethe39State of Floridaand nationally and internationally; however, if 40 tax revenues are expended for an activity, service, venue, or 41 event, the activity, service, venue, or event mustshallhave as 42 one of its main purposes the attraction of tourists as evidenced 43 by the promotion of the activity, service, venue, or event to 44 tourists; 45 4.3.To fund convention bureaus, tourist bureaus, tourist 46 information centers, and news bureaus as county agencies or by 47 contract with the chambers of commerce or similar associations 48 in the county, which may include any indirect administrative 49 costs for services performed by the county on behalf of the 50 promotion agency; or 51 5.4.To finance beach park facilities or beach improvement, 52 maintenance, renourishment, restoration, and erosion control, 53 including shoreline protection, enhancement, cleanup, or 54 restoration of inland lakes and rivers to which there is public 55 access as those uses relate to the physical preservation of the 56 beach, shoreline, or inland lake or river. However, any funds 57 identified by a county as the local matching source for beach 58 renourishment, restoration, or erosion control projects included 59 in the long-range budget plan of the state’s Beach Management 60 Plan, pursuant to s. 161.091, or funds contractually obligated 61 by a county in the financial plan for a federally authorized 62 shore protection project may not be used or loaned for any other 63 purpose. In counties of fewerlessthan 100,000 population, up 64 tono more than10 percent of the revenues from the tourist 65 development tax may be used for beach park facilities. 66 67 Subparagraphs 1. and 2. may be implemented through service 68 contracts and leases with lessees that have sufficient expertise 69 or financial capability to operate such facilities. 70 (c) The revenues to be derived from the tourist development 71 tax may be pledged to secure and liquidate revenue bonds issued 72 by the county for the purposes set forth in subparagraphs (a)1., 73 2., and 5.4.or for the purpose of refunding bonds previously 74 issued for such purposes, or both; however, no more than 50 75 percent of the revenues from the tourist development tax may be 76 pledged to secure and liquidate revenue bonds or revenue 77 refunding bonds issued for the purposes set forth in 78 subparagraph (a)5.(a)4.Such revenue bonds and revenue 79 refunding bonds may be authorized and issued in such principal 80 amounts, with such interest rates and maturity dates, and 81 subject to such other terms, conditions, and covenants as the 82 governing board of the county shall provide. The Legislature 83 intends that this paragraphshallbe full and complete authority 84 for accomplishing such purposes, but such authority isshall be85 supplemental and additional to, and not in derogation of, any 86 powers now existing or later conferred under law. 87 (7) AUTOMATIC EXPIRATION ON RETIREMENT OF BONDS.—Anything88in this section to the contraryNotwithstanding any other 89 provision of this section, if the plan for tourist development 90 approved by the governing board of the county, as amendedfrom91time to timepursuant to paragraph (4)(d), includes the 92 acquisition, construction, extension, enlargement, remodeling, 93 repair, or improvement of a publicly owned and operated 94 convention center, sports stadium, sports arena, coliseum, or 95 auditorium, or museum or aquarium, or museumthat is publicly 96 owned and operated or owned and operated by a not-for-profit 97 organization, the county ordinance levying and imposing the tax 98shallautomatically expiresexpireupon the later of: 99 (a) The retirement of all bonds issued by the county for 100 financing the acquisition, construction, extension, enlargement, 101 remodeling, repair, or improvement of a publicly owned and 102 operated convention center, sports stadium, sports arena, 103 coliseum, or auditorium, or museum or aquarium that is publicly 104 owned and operated or owned and operated by a not-for-profit 105 organizationthe same; or 106 (b) The expiration of any agreement by the county for the 107 operation or maintenance, or both, of a publicly owned and 108 operated convention center, sports stadium, sports arena, 109 coliseum, auditorium, aquarium, or museum. However, this does 110 notnothing herein shallpreclude that county from amending the 111 ordinance extending the tax to the extent that the board of the 112 county determines to be necessary to provide fundswith whichto 113 operate, maintain, repair, or renew and replace a publicly owned 114 and operated convention center, sports stadium, sports arena, 115 coliseum, auditorium, aquarium, or museum or from enacting an 116 ordinance that takeswhichshall takeeffect without referendum 117 approval, unless the original referendum required ordinance 118 expiration, pursuant to the provisions of this section 119 reimposing a tourist development tax, upon or following the 120 expiration of the previous ordinance. 121 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.