Senate Bill sb1566

    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 1566

    By Senator Jones





    13-957-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to tourist development taxes;

  3         amending s. 125.0104, F.S.; limiting the use of

  4         certain funds raised by this tax; providing an

  5         effective date.

  6

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

  8

  9         Section 1.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section

10  125.0104, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

11         125.0104  Tourist development tax; procedure for

12  levying; authorized uses; referendum; enforcement.--

13         (5)  AUTHORIZED USES OF REVENUE.--

14         (a)  All tax revenues received pursuant to this section

15  by a county imposing the tourist development tax shall be used

16  by that county for the following purposes only:

17         1.  To acquire, construct, extend, enlarge, remodel,

18  repair, improve, maintain, operate, or promote one or more

19  publicly owned and operated convention centers, sports

20  stadiums, sports arenas, coliseums, or auditoriums, or museums

21  that are publicly owned and operated or owned and operated by

22  not-for-profit organizations and open to the public, within

23  the boundaries of the county or subcounty special taxing

24  district in which the tax is levied. Tax revenues received

25  pursuant to this section may also be used for promotion of

26  zoological parks that are publicly owned and operated or owned

27  and operated by not-for-profit organizations and open to the

28  public. However, these purposes may be implemented through

29  service contracts and leases with lessees with sufficient

30  expertise or financial capability to operate such facilities;

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






    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 1566
    13-957-03




  1         2.  To promote and advertise tourism in the State of

  2  Florida and nationally and internationally; however, if tax

  3  revenues are expended for an activity, service, venue, or

  4  event, the activity, service, venue, or event shall have as

  5  one of its main purposes the attraction of tourists as

  6  evidenced by the promotion of the activity, service, venue, or

  7  event to tourists;

  8         3.  To fund convention bureaus, tourist bureaus,

  9  tourist information centers, and news bureaus as county

10  agencies or by contract with the chambers of commerce or

11  similar associations in the county, which may include any

12  indirect administrative costs for services performed by the

13  county on behalf of the promotion agency; or

14         4.  To finance beach park facilities or beach

15  improvement, maintenance, renourishment, restoration, and

16  erosion control, including shoreline protection, enhancement,

17  cleanup, or restoration of inland lakes and rivers to which

18  there is public access as those uses relate to the physical

19  preservation of the beach, shoreline, or inland lake or river.

20  Any funds designated by a county for beach improvement,

21  maintenance, renourishment, restoration, or erosion control

22  may not be used or loaned for any other purpose. In counties

23  of less than 100,000 population, no more than 10 percent of

24  the revenues from the tourist development tax may be used for

25  beach park facilities.

26         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.

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28            *****************************************

29                          SENATE SUMMARY

30    Specifically limits the use of certain designated funds
      from the tourist development tax.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.