(1) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the term:
(a) “Transportation deficiency area” means the geographic area within the unincorporated portion of a county or within the municipal boundary of a municipality designated in a local government comprehensive plan for which a transportation development authority is created pursuant to this section. A transportation deficiency area created within the corporate boundary of a municipality shall be made pursuant to an interlocal agreement between a county, a municipality or municipalities, and any affected taxing authority or authorities.
(b) “Authority” or “transportation development authority” means the governing body of a county or municipality within which an authority is created.
(c) “Governing body” means the council, commission, or other legislative body charged with governing the county or municipality within which an authority is created pursuant to this section.
(d) “Transportation deficiency” means an identified need where the existing and projected extent of traffic volume exceeds the level of service standard adopted in a local government comprehensive plan for a transportation facility.
(e) “Transportation sufficiency plan” means the plan adopted as part of a local government comprehensive plan by the governing body of a county or municipality acting as a transportation development authority.
(f) “Transportation project” means any designated transportation project identified for construction within the jurisdiction of a transportation development authority.
(g) “Debt service millage” means any millage levied pursuant to s. 12, Art. VII of the State Constitution.
(h) “Increment revenue” means the amount calculated pursuant to subsection (5).
(i) “Taxing authority” means a public body that levies or is authorized to levy an ad valorem tax on real property located within a transportation deficiency area, except a school district.
(2) CREATION OF TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITIES.—
(a) A county or municipality may create a transportation development authority if it has an identified transportation deficiency.
(b) Acting as the transportation development authority within the authority’s jurisdictional boundary, the governing body of a county or municipality shall adopt and implement a plan to eliminate all identified transportation deficiencies within the authority’s jurisdiction using funds provided pursuant to subsection (5) and as otherwise provided pursuant to this section.
(c) The Legislature finds and declares that there exist in many counties and municipalities areas that have significant transportation deficiencies and inadequate transportation facilities; that many insufficiencies and inadequacies severely limit or prohibit the satisfaction of transportation level of service standards; that the transportation insufficiencies and inadequacies affect the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of these counties and municipalities; that the transportation insufficiencies and inadequacies adversely affect economic development and growth of the tax base for the areas in which these insufficiencies and inadequacies exist; and that the elimination of transportation deficiencies and inadequacies and the satisfaction of transportation concurrency standards are paramount public purposes for the state and its counties and municipalities.
(3) POWERS OF A TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.—Each transportation development authority created pursuant to this section has the powers necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of this section, including the following powers in addition to others granted in this section:
(a) To make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary or convenient to the exercise of its powers under this section.
(b) To undertake and carry out transportation projects for transportation facilities designed to relieve transportation deficiencies within the authority’s jurisdiction. Transportation projects may include transportation facilities that provide for alternative modes of travel including sidewalks, bikeways, and mass transit which are related to a deficient transportation facility.
(c) To invest any transportation funds held in reserve, sinking funds, or any such funds not required for immediate disbursement in property or securities in which savings banks may legally invest funds subject to the control of the authority and to redeem such bonds as have been issued pursuant to this section at the redemption price established therein, or to purchase such bonds at less than redemption price. All such bonds redeemed or purchased shall be canceled.
(d) To borrow money, including, but not limited to, issuing debt obligations such as, but not limited to, bonds, notes, certificates, and similar debt instruments; to apply for and accept advances, loans, grants, contributions, and any other forms of financial assistance from the Federal Government or the state, county, or any other public body or from any sources, public or private, for the purposes of this part; to give such security as may be required; to enter into and carry out contracts or agreements; and to include in any contracts for financial assistance with the Federal Government for or with respect to a transportation project and related activities such conditions imposed under federal laws as the transportation development authority considers reasonable and appropriate and which are not inconsistent with the purposes of this section.
(e) To make or have made all surveys and plans necessary to the carrying out of the purposes of this section; to contract with any persons, public or private, in making and carrying out such plans; and to adopt, approve, modify, or amend such transportation sufficiency plans.
(f) To appropriate such funds and make such expenditures as are necessary to carry out the purposes of this section, and to enter into agreements with other public bodies, which agreements may extend over any period notwithstanding any provision or rule of law to the contrary.
(4) TRANSPORTATION SUFFICIENCY PLANS.—Each transportation development authority shall adopt a transportation sufficiency plan as a part of the local government comprehensive plan within 6 months after the creation of the authority. The plan must:
(a) Identify all transportation facilities that have been designated as deficient and require the expenditure of moneys to upgrade, modify, or mitigate the deficiency.
(b) Include a priority listing of all transportation facilities that have been designated as deficient and do not satisfy requirements pursuant to s. 163.3180, and the applicable local government comprehensive plan.
(c) Establish a schedule for financing and construction of transportation projects that will eliminate transportation deficiencies within the jurisdiction of the authority within 10 years after the transportation sufficiency plan adoption. The schedule shall be adopted as part of the local government comprehensive plan.
Notwithstanding such schedule requirements, as long as the schedule provides for the elimination of all transportation deficiencies within 10 years after the adoption of the transportation sufficiency plan, the final maturity date of any debt incurred to finance or refinance the related projects may be no later than 40 years after the date the debt is incurred and the authority may continue operations and administer the trust fund established as provided in subsection (5) for as long as the debt remains outstanding.
(5) ESTABLISHMENT OF LOCAL TRUST FUND.—The transportation development authority shall establish a local transportation trust fund upon creation of the authority. Each local trust fund shall be administered by the transportation development authority within which transportation deficiencies have been identified. Each local trust fund must continue to be funded under this section for as long as the projects set forth in the related transportation sufficiency plan remain to be completed or until any debt incurred to finance or refinance the related projects is no longer outstanding, whichever occurs later. Beginning in the first fiscal year after the creation of the authority, each local trust fund shall be funded by the proceeds of an ad valorem tax increment collected within each transportation deficiency area to be determined annually and shall be a minimum of 25 percent of the difference between the amounts set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b), except that if all of the affected taxing authorities agree under an interlocal agreement, a particular local trust fund may be funded by the proceeds of an ad valorem tax increment greater than 25 percent of the difference between the amounts set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b):
(a) The amount of ad valorem tax levied each year by each taxing authority, exclusive of any amount from any debt service millage, on taxable real property contained within the jurisdiction of the transportation development authority and within the transportation deficiency area; and
(b) The amount of ad valorem taxes which would have been produced by the rate upon which the tax is levied each year by or for each taxing authority, exclusive of any debt service millage, upon the total of the assessed value of the taxable real property within the transportation deficiency area as shown on the most recent assessment roll used in connection with the taxation of such property of each taxing authority prior to the effective date of the ordinance funding the trust fund.
(6) EXEMPTIONS.—
(a) The following public bodies or taxing authorities are exempt from this section:
1. A special district that levies ad valorem taxes on taxable real property in more than one county.
2. A special district for which the sole available source of revenue is the authority to levy ad valorem taxes at the time an ordinance is adopted under this section. However, revenues or aid that may be dispensed or appropriated to a district as defined in s. 388.011 at the discretion of an entity other than such district are not deemed available.
3. A library district.
4. A neighborhood improvement district created under the Safe Neighborhoods Act.
5. A metropolitan transportation authority.
6. A water management district created under s. 373.069.
7. A community redevelopment agency.
(b) A transportation development authority may also exempt from this section a special district that levies ad valorem taxes within the transportation deficiency area pursuant to s. 163.387(2)(d).
(7) TRANSPORTATION CONCURRENCY SATISFACTION.—Upon adoption of a transportation sufficiency plan as a part of the local government comprehensive plan, and the plan going into effect, the area subject to the plan shall be deemed to have achieved and maintained transportation level-of-service standards. Proportionate fair-share mitigation shall be limited to ensure that a development inside a transportation deficiency area is not responsible for the additional costs of eliminating deficiencies.
(8) DISSOLUTION.—Upon completion of all transportation projects identified in the transportation sufficiency plan and repayment or defeasance of all debt issued to finance or refinance such projects, a transportation development authority shall be dissolved, and its assets and liabilities transferred to the county or municipality within which the authority is located. All remaining assets of the authority must be used for implementation of transportation projects within the jurisdiction of the authority. The local government comprehensive plan shall be amended to remove the transportation concurrency backlog plan.
History.—s. 12, ch. 2007-196; s. 10, ch. 2007-204; s. 27, ch. 2008-4; s. 6, ch. 2009-85; s. 16, ch. 2011-139.