Florida Senate - 2012                                     SB 836
       
       
       
       By Senator Fasano
       
       
       
       
       11-00666-12                                            2012836__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to new or retained professional sports
    3         franchises; prohibiting a new or retained professional
    4         sport franchise that uses a facility that receives
    5         certain distributions of public funds or the
    6         franchise’s league from preventing television or radio
    7         broadcasts of games in the facility due to
    8         insufficient ticket sales; providing that the sports
    9         franchise is subject to a fine by the county in which
   10         the facility is located if broadcasts of a game are
   11         prohibited; requiring that the proceeds of the fine be
   12         used to purchase tickets to games of the sports
   13         franchise at the publicly financed facility for
   14         specified individuals and their families; providing an
   15         effective date.
   16  
   17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   18  
   19         Section 1. Broadcast blackouts prohibited at publicly
   20  financed facilities.—
   21         (1) A new or retained professional sports franchise using a
   22  facility that receives public funding under s. 212.20(6)(d)6.,
   23  Florida Statutes, or the franchise’s league may not prohibit
   24  television or radio broadcasts of a game played in the facility
   25  in areas near the facility due to insufficient ticket sales.
   26         (2) If the professional sports franchise or its league
   27  violates this section, the professional sports franchise is
   28  subject to a fine by the county in which the facility is located
   29  in the amount of $125,000 per violation. A fine assessed under
   30  this section must be paid by the franchise before it plays the
   31  first regular season game of the next season in the publicly
   32  financed facility.
   33         (3) The proceeds of the fine shall be used by the county or
   34  the public sports authority for the county exclusively to
   35  purchase tickets to games of the professional sports franchise
   36  at the facility for foster children and their foster families,
   37  nonprofit youth organizations, and the United Service
   38  Organization, Inc., which organization will provide the tickets
   39  to servicemembers on leave from active duty in a combat zone and
   40  their families.
   41         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.