The request is for City Council to adopt Resolution No. 2017-13 in opposition of House Bill 13 which severely restricts the ability of Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRA's) to perform in accordance with their intended purpose and establishes a process by which to terminate all CRAs in Florida.

Under Chapter 163, Part III, of the Florida Statutes a county or municipality is permitted to create a Community Redevelopment Agency to influence the redevelopment of blighted properties.  CRA's rely on tax increment financing as a tool for redevelopment and to motivate the creation of jobs. In short, the tax increment used to finance projects is a portion of the difference between the amount of property tax revenue generated prior to the establishment of the CRA and the amount of property tax revenue generated in future fiscal years. 

The current proposed HB 13 seeks to prohibit or restrict local municipalities’ use of CRA's.  The projects financed through use of tax increment funds stabilize blighted areas. Local units of government have both the right and the responsibility to mobilize reinvestment in economically challenged areas.  The state should not restrict CRA's as they are a necessary tool for local units of government. Should HB 13 pass and become law as of July 1, 2017, it would have devastating effects on the 178 current CRA's throughout the State of Florida including our own.