House Bill hb0833c2
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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HJR 833
        By the Fiscal Responsibility Council and Committee on
    Local Government & Veterans Affairs and Representative
    Carassas
  1                      House Joint Resolution
  2         A joint resolution proposing an amendment to
  3         Section 3 of Article VII of the State
  4         Constitution relating to a tax exemption for
  5         certain property owned by municipalities or
  6         special districts and used for specified
  7         purposes.
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  9  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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11         That the following amendment to Section 3 of Article
12  VII of the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be
13  submitted to the electors of this state for approval or
14  rejection at the next general election, or at an earlier
15  special election specifically authorized by law for that
16  purpose, and, if approved, shall take effect January 1, 2003:
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18                           ARTICLE VII
19                       FINANCE AND TAXATION
20         SECTION 3.  Taxes; exemptions.--
21         (a)  All property owned by a municipality or special
22  district and used exclusively by it for governmental or
23  municipal or public purposes shall be exempt from taxation.
24  All property not otherwise exempt from taxation owned by a
25  municipality or by a special district and used for the
26  purposes of transportation of passengers or cargo at airports
27  or deepwater seaports or used for purposes for which public
28  funds may be expended may be exempted from taxation as
29  provided by general law. A municipality, owning property
30  outside the municipality, may be required by general law to
31  make payment to the taxing unit in which the property is
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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HJR 833
    187-990-02
  1  located.  Such portions of property as are used predominantly
  2  for educational, literary, scientific, religious or charitable
  3  purposes may be exempted by general law from taxation.
  4         (b)  There shall be exempt from taxation, cumulatively,
  5  to every head of a family residing in this state, household
  6  goods and personal effects to the value fixed by general law,
  7  not less than one thousand dollars, and to every widow or
  8  widower or person who is blind or totally and permanently
  9  disabled, property to the value fixed by general law not less
10  than five hundred dollars.
11         (c)  Any county or municipality may, for the purpose of
12  its respective tax levy and subject to the provisions of this
13  subsection and general law, grant community and economic
14  development ad valorem tax exemptions to new businesses and
15  expansions of existing businesses, as defined by general law.
16  Such an exemption may be granted only by ordinance of the
17  county or municipality, and only after the electors of the
18  county or municipality voting on such question in a referendum
19  authorize the county or municipality to adopt such ordinances.
20  An exemption so granted shall apply to improvements to real
21  property made by or for the use of a new business and
22  improvements to real property related to the expansion of an
23  existing business and shall also apply to tangible personal
24  property of such new business and tangible personal property
25  related to the expansion of an existing business. The amount
26  or limits of the amount of such exemption shall be specified
27  by general law.  The period of time for which such exemption
28  may be granted to a new business or expansion of an existing
29  business shall be determined by general law.  The authority to
30  grant such exemption shall expire ten years from the date of
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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HJR 833
    187-990-02
  1  approval by the electors of the county or municipality, and
  2  may be renewable by referendum as provided by general law.
  3         (d)  By general law and subject to conditions specified
  4  therein, there may be granted an ad valorem tax exemption to a
  5  renewable energy source device and to real property on which
  6  such device is installed and operated, to the value fixed by
  7  general law not to exceed the original cost of the device, and
  8  for the period of time fixed by general law not to exceed ten
  9  years.
10         (e)  Any county or municipality may, for the purpose of
11  its respective tax levy and subject to the provisions of this
12  subsection and general law, grant historic preservation ad
13  valorem tax exemptions to owners of historic properties.  This
14  exemption may be granted only by ordinance of the county or
15  municipality.  The amount or limits of the amount of this
16  exemption and the requirements for eligible properties must be
17  specified by general law.  The period of time for which this
18  exemption may be granted to a property owner shall be
19  determined by general law.
20         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
21  placed on the ballot:
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23                     CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
24                      ARTICLE VII, SECTION 3
25         TAXATION OF MUNICIPAL OR SPECIAL-DISTRICT
26  PROPERTY.--Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to
27  provide that municipal or special-district property used
28  exclusively for governmental or municipal purposes is exempt
29  from taxation and to authorize the Legislature to enact
30  general laws to exempt from taxation municipal or
31  special-district property used for transporting passengers or
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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HJR 833
    187-990-02
  1  cargo at airports or deepwater seaports or used for purposes
  2  for which public funds may be expended.
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