The House approved a proposal by Lakewood Ranch Republican Rep. Bill Conerly creating the University Town Center Improvement District in Manatee and Sarasota counties aimed to coordinate stormwater and flood-control work in a fast-growing commercial corridor.
The House voted 110-to-0 on Thursday in favor of HB 4091 after a brief floor presentation.
After a strike-all amendment was adopted in the House’s final committee stop, the bill would create the University Town Center Improvement District as a tool to “install, operate (and) maintain stormwater and flood control facilities, as well as other community infrastructure.”
The amendment converted the proposal into a Chapter 298 drainage and water control district, narrowing the measure to focus specifically on stormwater management and flood mitigation infrastructure.
Conerly has previously described the district concept as a way to tackle drainage in a basin that crosses county lines, a challenge he said complicates coordination of stormwater improvements in the University Town Center area, without relying on general taxpayer dollars.
The bill is written as a special act creating the district and its governing structure. It calls for a five-member Board of Supervisors elected by landowners within the district on a one-acre, one-vote basis.
To pay for its work, the bill allows the district to levy non-ad valorem assessments on properties within the district to fund drainage and water control improvements. However, the strike-all amendment also eliminated the district’s ability to levy ad valorem property taxes and removed any condemnation authority, meaning the district would not have taxation or eminent domain powers.
The bill makes most provisions effective only if a majority of eligible landowners present at a landowners meeting vote to approve the district. That meeting must be held within 20 days after the relevant section becomes law. Conerly has previously explained the District does not include residential areas and includes a small number of commercial property owners.
HB 4091 is a local bill supported by both the Sarasota and Manatee legislative delegations and does not require a Senate companion. It has now been sent to the Senate, where it was received in messages and referred to the Rules Committee.
