March 8, 2018
Today, March 8, the Florida Senate will consider
CS/SB 1348
(
Perry
).
Please call your Senator ASAP and urge them to OPPOSE ALL CRA amendments.
(
For an update on what happened in the House yesterday, see below.)
Message to Senators:
- Oppose prohibitions on CRA expenditures on festivals, tourism related activities, grants to “socially beneficial programs.”
- This language PROHIBITS CRAs from partnering with Habitat for Humanity to address affordable housing, with working with Big Brother/Sister, working with Police Athletic League to hold youth sports leagues, and other socially beneficial programs.
- This language PROHIBITS CRAs from sponsoring farmers markets, Martin Luther King Festival, 4th of July Parade, St. Patrick’s Festivals, working waterfront events, arts festival in a developing arts districts, and many other events that business owners depend on.
- Redevelopment plans encourage new investment and job creation in areas that are blighted and generate traffic to the core areas of the CRA.
- Small businesses, restaurants and other retailers have made significant financial investments in CRAs despite blighted conditions based on the CRA redevelopment plan adopted at public hearings. This amendment will break the promises made to businesses and not allow CRAs to fulfill their publicly adopted redevelopment plans.
- CRAs were established to encourage new investment and job creation in areas that are blighted. Business owners have taken significant risks in establishing a business in a blighted area based on CRA activities. The promises to these business owners chasing the American dream should not be broken.
- Oppose requiring all new CRAs be created by a special act of the legislature. CRAs are funded locally with no state money involved. This is local tax dollars being put to work locally. Local elected officials should continue to have the ability to create a CRA locally.
- Oppose amendments limiting CRAs ability to provide infrastructure support adjacent to sports facilities. Typically, CRAs don’t expend funds directly on a sports facility but is a traditional function to provide infrastructure supporting ANY redevelopment in the CRA.
Additional Talking Points:
- The League supports legislation to improve municipalities’ use of CRAs to effectively carry out redevelopment and community revitalization.
- My city’s CRA is our community’s best tool for improving infrastructure, maximizing local resources and making long-lasting positive changes.
- This redevelopment tool is used by both Florida counties and cities of all sizes, from Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville, to Hernando County, Madison and Apalachicola.
- This financing system is successful because it provides specific public services without increasing or levying any new taxes. No state money is involved. This is local tax dollars being put to work locally.
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Update on CS/CS/HB 883: Last night, March 7, the House considered
CRA amendment (B
arcod
e:
858941)
to
CS/CS/HB 883 (Ingoglia). This amendment was opposed by the League. Initially, the CRA amendment was voted down (
65-51). At the very last minute, a motion was made to reconsider the CRA amendment. House members voted and passed the amendment (
101-8). CS/CS/HB 883, as amended, then passed the House (
65-52). You can click on each vote count highlighted in parentheses to see how your representative voted each time.
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Please contact members of the Florida Senate and urge them to OPPOSE ALL CRA amendments to CS/SB 1348.
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We encourage you to text any and call SENATORS that you have a personal relationship with.
You can also use the League’s
Contact Your Legislator
advocacy tool or click
here
for an easy, cut and paste list of email addresses for all members of the Florida Senate.
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Share Your Opposition on Social!
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- My city’s CRA is our community’s best tool for improving infrastructure, maximizing local resources and making long-lasting positive changes. #LetCitiesWork #RedevelopmentWorks
- CRAs are successful because it provides specific public services without levying new taxes. No state money is involved. This is local tax dollars being put to work locally. #LetCitiesWork #RedevelopmentWorks
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Thank you for your advocacy efforts!
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