Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1034 By Senator Montford 3-00508-20 20201034__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to district millage elections; 3 amending s. 1011.71, F.S.; increasing the maximum 4 number of years for which a specified millage may be 5 levied; deleting obsolete language; amending s. 6 1011.73, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made 7 by the act; providing an effective date. 8 9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 10 11 Section 1. Subsection (9) of section 1011.71, Florida 12 Statutes, is amended to read: 13 1011.71 District school tax.— 14 (9) In addition to the maximum millage levied under this 15 section and the General Appropriations Act, a school district 16 may levy, by local referendum or in a general election, 17 additional millage for school operational purposes up to an 18 amount that, when combined with nonvoted millage levied under 19 this section, does not exceed the 10-mill limit established in 20 s. 9(b), Art. VII of the State Constitution. Any such levy must 21 shall be for a maximum of 10 4 years and must shall be counted 22 as part of the 10-mill limit established in s. 9(b), Art. VII of 23 the State Constitution. For the purpose of distributing taxes 24 collected pursuant to this subsection, the term “school 25 operational purposes” includes charter schools sponsored by a 26 school district. Millage elections conducted under the authority 27 granted pursuant to this section are subject to s. 1011.73. 28 Funds generated by such additional millage do not become a part 29 of the calculation of the Florida Education Finance Program 30 total potential funds and may in 2001-2002 or any subsequent 31 year and must not be incorporated in the calculation of any 32 hold-harmless or other component of the Florida Education 33 Finance Program formula in any year. If an increase in required 34 local effort, when added to existing millage levied under the 35 10-mill limit, would result in a combined millage in excess of 36 the 10-mill limit, any millage levied pursuant to this 37 subsection must shall be considered to be required local effort 38 to the extent that the district millage would otherwise exceed 39 the 10-mill limit. Funds levied under this subsection shall be 40 shared with charter schools based on each charter school’s 41 proportionate share of the district’s total unweighted full-time 42 equivalent student enrollment and used in a manner consistent 43 with the purposes of the levy. The referendum must contain an 44 explanation of the distribution methodology consistent with the 45 requirements of this subsection. 46 Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 1011.73, Florida 47 Statutes, is amended to read: 48 1011.73 District millage elections.— 49 (2) MILLAGE AUTHORIZED NOT TO EXCEED 10 4 YEARS.—The 50 district school board, pursuant to resolution adopted at a 51 regular meeting, shall direct the county commissioners to call 52 an election at which the electors within the school district may 53 approve an ad valorem tax millage as authorized under s. 54 1011.71(9). Such election may be held at any time, except that 55 not more than one such election may shall be held during any 12 56 month period. Any millage so authorized must shall be levied for 57 a period not to exceed 10 in excess of 4 years or until changed 58 by another millage election, whichever is earlier. If any such 59 election is invalidated by a court of competent jurisdiction, 60 such invalidated election must shall be considered not to have 61 been held. 62 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.