The Better Jacksonville Ordinance

http://www.betterjax.com/overview/ordinance.htm

jacksonville's duval county is very weak mostly because the city takes up all but %5 of the county and some of a neighboring county. I know the city definitely issued the taxes and bonds in the better JAX plan.

 

Those were probably property taxes but I betcha they still had to be approved by the County government.

 

Look, let me say it again, no convention center, no tax money, no tax money no stadium.

 

The answer is to find a way to keep the driver healthy ( the MBCC ) while still finding the money to contribute towards a stadium.

 

It is not a zero sum game. One does not have to lose for the other to win.

Chapter 761 THE BETTER JACKSONVILLE PLAN

 

 

 

 

Sec. 761.101. The Better Jacksonville Plan.

 

 

 

 

There is hereby established "The Better Jacksonville Plan", for the purposes of managing growth, improving and constructing roads, protecting natural lands and waterways and targeting economic development and providing public facilities. Among other quality of life improvements, The Better Jacksonville Plan, if approved by the citizens of Jacksonville, will improve roads to reduce traffic congestion and direct growth through a countywide road and infrastructure improvement plan for one and one-half billion dollars, seven hundred fifty million dollars of which is expected to be funded through a restructuring of existing Jacksonville Transportation Authority ("JTA") and City sources, as recommended by the Soud/Bussells Commission. The remaining seven hundred fifty million dollars shall be funded from The Better Jacksonville 1/2 Cent Sales Surtax. The countywide road, infrastructure and transportation improvements are itemized in the "City of Jacksonville Transportation and Infrastructure 2000-2010 Work Program" (the "Work Program"), which is attached as Exhibit "A" hereto and, by this reference, is incorporated herein. Amendments to this Work Program, as financed by The Better Jacksonville 1/2 Cent Sales Surtax, may be made by the City Council for just cause only but as is deemed necessary; provided however, substituting a project not in said Work Program for a project that is in said Work Program shall be made only by the City Council upon a vote of two-thirds of all City Council Members (thirteen votes). By investing in enhanced neighborhood streets and parks, protecting natural resources and providing better public facilities for residents and encouraging growth in targeted areas, The Better Jacksonville Plan will help ensure a strong city for the future.

 

 

 

 

 

(Ord. 2000-572-E, ? 1)

 

 

 

 

Sec. 761.102. Elements of The Better Jacksonville Plan.

 

 

 

 

The goals of The Better Jacksonville Plan, i.e., growth management, improving and constructing roads, environmental protection and preservation and targeted economic development, and providing public facilities shall be accomplished by the acquisition, construction and development of the following projects, listed with their approximate costs:

 

 

 

 

 

(a) Roads/infrastructure/transportation. A one and one-half billion dollar Work Program with seven hundred fifty million dollars funded from the restructuring of existing JTA and City sources, and the remaining seven hundred fifty million dollars funded from The Better Jacksonville 1/2 Cent Sales Surtax. The Work Program includes new, expanded and widened roads; interchanges, overpasses and intersection improvements; and also includes:

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Road resurfacing . . . $105 million

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Drainage . . . 70 million

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Sidewalks/bike paths . . . 20 million

 

 

 

 

 

(4) Landscaping/tree planting along road improvement projects . . . 18 million

 

 

 

 

 

(5) Safety grade crossings . . . 25 million

 

 

 

 

 

(6) Rapid transit right-of-way acquisition . . . 100 million

 

 

 

 

 

(b) Environment/quality of life.

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Land acquisition through the preservation project . . . 50 million

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Neighborhood parks . . . 15 million

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Environmental clean-up . . . 25 million

 

 

 

 

 

(4) Septic tank remediation . . . 75 million

 

 

 

 

 

© Targeted economic development.

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Trust Fund . . . 25 million

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Cecil Field, including recreational and equestrian facilities . . . 25 million

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Jacksonville Zoo . . . 10 million

 

 

 

 

 

(d) Public facilities/downtown.

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Main library . . . 95 million

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Library branch improvements . . . 55 million

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Arena . . . 125 million

 

 

 

 

 

(4) Baseball park . . . 25 million

 

 

 

 

 

(5) Courthouse . . . 190 million

 

 

 

 

 

(e) The Better Jacksonville Plan Projects Contingency . . . 35 million

 

 

 

 

 

(Ord. 2000-572-E, ? 1)

 

Teh City of Jacksonville takes care of roads for Duval county, that is why the road project is county wide.

http://www.betterjax.com/News/NewsReleases/News06262003.pdf

 

Letter from the Desk of Jacsonville Mayor Delaney dedicating the new arena built using Jacksonville City Taxes

You neglected to post this portion of the ordinance :

 

Sec. 761.103. Funding for The Better Jacksonville Plan Sales Surtax.

 

 

 

In order to fund The Better Jacksonville Plan, and pursuant to the provisions of section 212.055(2), F.S., and subject to approval at a referendum of qualified electors in Duval County, there is hereby levied and imposed throughout Duval County a discretionary sales surtax ("The Better Jacksonville 1/2 Cent Sales Surtax") at the rate of one-half percent per dollar on all transactions within Duval County subject to the State sales and use tax imposed by chapter 212, F.S., subject to the limitations imposed thereon by section 212.054, F.S.

yes because teh city of jacksonville has control of taxes over all of duval county since they have now annexed or incorporated the enitre county as city limits. they levy taxes to any establishment in duval county. it is a city ordinance.

Let me try one last time...sigh... you cannot, by ordinance, pass a tax. Cities may not enact laws only ordinances. Only county governments and the state legislature may pass a law. It is irrelevant if Jacksonville encompasses the entire county of Duvall or not, the city government does not have the power to tax WITHOUT the county government and the state's approval.

 

 

 

You don't understand how the individual governments work in the state of Florida.

good lord, it is easy for a city to have a tax levied. you consult the state and county, get approval and pass the ordinance. if jacksonville passed the tax, why couldn't miami beach?

 

Miami beach has no claim, the money was for a ballpark, not the convention center.

good lord, it is easy for a city to have a tax levied. you consult the state and county, get approval and pass the ordinance. if jacksonville passed the tax, why couldn't miami beach?

 

Miami beach has no claim, the money was for a ballpark, not the convention center.

 

 

I give up !

 

You don't know what you're talking about, if you think it is "EASY" to get a tax passed you are living in a dream world. Not only do you have to get the various government entities to agree, you have to get the taxpayers/voters to vote for it in an election.

 

I don't know if you're a kid or you own a home, pay property (and other) taxes, vote etc. but you don't know crap about the relationship between the city and the county regarding the CC, nor are you willing to accept the language in your own post regarding Jacksonville, which clearly states the tax shall be approved by the voters, the county and the state.

 

Give it a break will you?

 

And for the record the tax is a CDT, a "Convention Development Tax". After maintaining the convention center financing a baseball stadium is listed as another use, it was never passed to be the primary use.

 

You do understand I'm on the Marlins side in all this don't you? But the facts are the facts.

um....we have used hotel/motel & car rental taxes to pay for a new arena in San Antonio and our Convention Center has recently been upgraded and such.

 

 

It can be done...but some are not intelligent.

if you lay out a good plan like they did in jax, it can be done. voters even approved it in jax after a lawsuit was filed.

 

competent people can get things done, that is what is lacking in Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe Counties. Teh City of Cape Coral just raised taxes to build some facilities around the city. Now these were property taxes, but they are still taxes.

BTW, there is one other example of a city issuing it's own bonds. Saint Petersburg, with some tourism grants from the state, issued almost $200 million dollars in bonds to build something for it's downtown area to help it recover and grow.

 

That something is Tropicana Field and was built by the city basically. the grants were to help with utilities and roads.

This tax, for those that haven't been paying attention, wasn't just for the Marlins. This was used initially to pay for the AAA I believe, and the agreement was for runover taxes that wouldn't be used to go to the Marlins if used before December 1st, 2003. So technically, it is not Miami Beach's money at all. Whatsoever. The county just had no where else to put it, so they decided to give it to Miami Beach to remodel the convention center because they didn't want the 50 million going to waste.