| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Sarasota County Tourist Development |
| 3 | Council; providing legislative findings; providing for |
| 4 | appointment of additional members to the membership of the |
| 5 | Sarasota County Tourist Development Council; specifying |
| 6 | requirements for the council members; providing for |
| 7 | duties, responsibilities, and procedures of the council; |
| 8 | providing for superseding certain provisions of general |
| 9 | law; providing construction; providing an effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Section 1. (1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.-The Legislature |
| 14 | finds that, in November 1988, Sarasota County first levied its |
| 15 | tourist development tax and created the Sarasota County Tourist |
| 16 | Development Council as authorized in section 125.0104, Florida |
| 17 | Statutes. The Legislature also finds that the population of |
| 18 | Sarasota County has grown from 257,667 persons in 1988 to |
| 19 | 389,320 in 2009, and that the City of North Port, an inland |
| 20 | municipality within Sarasota County, has experienced a surge in |
| 21 | growth that has resulted in it becoming more populous than the |
| 22 | coastal municipalities which generate the highest percentage of |
| 23 | tourist tax revenues. Moreover, section 125.0104, Florida |
| 24 | Statutes, requires that the tourist development council be |
| 25 | comprised of two municipal officials, one from the most populous |
| 26 | municipality, resulting in a lack of representation from two of |
| 27 | the three coastal municipalities. The Legislature further finds |
| 28 | that increasing municipal representation on the tourist |
| 29 | development council necessitates increasing tourist industry |
| 30 | membership such that all sectors are proportionately |
| 31 | represented. Given Sarasota County's growth in population and |
| 32 | the important role all municipalities play in the county's |
| 33 | tourist development, the Legislature declares it to be |
| 34 | appropriate to authorize the governing board of Sarasota County |
| 35 | to expand the membership of its tourist development council from |
| 36 | nine to 13 members in order that all municipalities within |
| 37 | Sarasota County may be represented with a proportionate |
| 38 | representation from the tourist industry. |
| 39 | (2) SARASOTA COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL.- |
| 40 | (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of section |
| 41 | 125.0104(4)(e), Florida Statutes, limiting the composition of a |
| 42 | tourist development council to nine members, the governing board |
| 43 | of Sarasota County shall increase the composition of the |
| 44 | Sarasota County Tourist Development Council from nine to 13 |
| 45 | members. The county's governing board shall amend its current |
| 46 | ordinance within 90 days after the effective date of this |
| 47 | section to reflect the increased number of council members and |
| 48 | must appoint the four additional members no later than October |
| 49 | 1, 2010. The Chair of the Sarasota County Board of County |
| 50 | Commissioners or any other member designated by the Chair shall |
| 51 | serve on the council. Notwithstanding section 125.0104(4)(e), |
| 52 | Florida Statutes, four members of the council shall be elected |
| 53 | municipal officials, one from each of the four incorporated |
| 54 | municipalities within the county on the effective date of this |
| 55 | section; and eight members of the council shall be persons who |
| 56 | are involved in the tourist industry and who have demonstrated |
| 57 | an interest in tourist development, of which members, not fewer |
| 58 | than four nor more than five shall be owners or operators of |
| 59 | motels, hotels, recreational vehicle parks, or other tourist- |
| 60 | related accommodations in the county and subject to the tax. |
| 61 | (b) Except as provided in this subsection, the Sarasota |
| 62 | County Tourist Development Council shall have all the duties and |
| 63 | responsibilities as provided for tourist development councils by |
| 64 | general law. |
| 65 | (3) CONSTRUCTION.-Nothing in this section shall be |
| 66 | construed to affect the terms of those members serving on the |
| 67 | Sarasota County Tourist Development Council on the effective |
| 68 | date of this section or any actions taken by the council prior |
| 69 | to the appointment of any additional members authorized in |
| 70 | subsection (2). This section supersedes the provisions of |
| 71 | section 125.0104, Florida Statutes, to the extent of any |
| 72 | conflict. Except as provided in this section, the provisions of |
| 73 | section 125.0104(4)(e), Florida Statutes, shall apply to the |
| 74 | Sarasota County Tourist Development Council. |
| 75 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |