House Bill 3477

    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3477

        By Representative Bronson






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to determination of millage;

  3         amending s. 200.065, F.S.; authorizing taxing

  4         authorities to adopt the tax levies and budgets

  5         of their dependent special taxing districts by

  6         single votes, unless a member of the public

  7         requests a separate discussion and vote for the

  8         tax levy or budget of any such district;

  9         providing an effective date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section

14  200.065, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

15         200.065  Method of fixing millage.--

16         (2)  No millage shall be levied until a resolution or

17  ordinance has been approved by the governing board of the

18  taxing authority which resolution or ordinance must be

19  approved by the taxing authority according to the following

20  procedure:

21         (e)1.  In the hearings required pursuant to paragraphs

22  (c) and (d), the first substantive issue discussed shall be

23  the percentage increase in millage over the rolled-back rate

24  necessary to fund the budget, if any, and the specific

25  purposes for which ad valorem tax revenues are being

26  increased. During such discussion, the governing body shall

27  hear comments regarding the proposed increase and explain the

28  reasons for the proposed increase over the rolled-back rate.

29  The general public shall be allowed to speak and to ask

30  questions prior to adoption of any measures by the governing

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3477

    166-177-98






  1  body.  The governing body shall adopt its tentative or final

  2  millage rate prior to adopting its tentative or final budget.

  3         2.  These hearings shall be held after 5 p.m. if

  4  scheduled on a day other than Saturday.  No hearing shall be

  5  held on a Sunday.  The county commission shall not schedule

  6  its hearings on days scheduled for hearings by the school

  7  board.  The hearing dates scheduled by the county commission

  8  and school board shall not be utilized by any other taxing

  9  authority within the county for its public hearings.  A

10  multicounty taxing authority shall make every reasonable

11  effort to avoid scheduling hearings on days utilized by the

12  counties or school districts within its jurisdiction.  Tax

13  levies and budgets for dependent special taxing districts each

14  shall be separately discussed and separately adopted at the

15  hearings for the taxing authority to which such districts are

16  dependent, following such discussion and adoption of levies

17  and budgets for the superior taxing authority. A taxing

18  authority may adopt the tax levies for all of its dependent

19  special taxing districts, and may adopt the budgets for all of

20  its dependent special taxing districts, by a single unanimous

21  vote. However, if a member of the general public requests that

22  the tax levy or budget of a dependent special taxing district

23  be separately discussed and separately adopted, the taxing

24  authority shall discuss and adopt that tax levy or budget

25  separately. If, due to circumstances beyond the control of the

26  taxing authority, the hearing provided for in paragraph (d) is

27  recessed, the taxing authority shall publish a notice in a

28  newspaper of general paid circulation in the county.  The

29  notice shall state the time and place for the continuation of

30  the hearing and shall be published at least 2 days but not

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3477

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  1  more than 5 days prior to the date the hearing will be

  2  continued.

  3         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

  4  law.

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  7                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Authorizes taxing authorities to adopt the tax levies and
  9    budgets of their dependent special taxing districts by
      single votes, unless a member of the public requests a
10    separate discussion and vote for the tax levy or budget
      of any such district.
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