Florida Statutes 159.15 – Tax exemption and eligibility as investments
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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 159.15
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
- municipality: shall mean any city, town, village or port authority in the state, whether incorporated by special act of the Legislature or under the general laws of the state. See Florida Statutes 159.02
- political subdivision: include counties, cities, towns, villages, special tax school districts, special road and bridge districts, bridge districts, and all other districts in this state. See Florida Statutes 1.01
- project: shall include all property, rights, easements, and franchises relating thereto and deemed necessary or convenient for the construction or acquisition or the operation thereof, and shall embrace waterworks systems, sewer systems, gas systems, bridges, causeways, tunnels, incinerator and solid waste disposal systems, harbor and port facilities, mass transportation systems, expressways, marinas, civic auditoriums, sports arenas, parking facilities, and theme and amusement parks. See Florida Statutes 159.02
- revenue bonds: shall mean the obligations issued by a unit under the provisions of this part to pay the cost of a self-liquidating project or improvements thereof or combination of one or more projects or improvements thereof, and payable from the earnings of such project, and any other special funds authorized to be pledged as additional security therefor under this part. See Florida Statutes 159.02
(1) It is hereby found and determined that all of the purposes for which revenue bonds are authorized to be issued by this part constitute essential governmental purposes, and all of the properties, revenues, moneys and other assets owned and used in the operation of such projects, and all revenue bonds issued hereunder and the interest thereon shall be exempt from all taxation by the state or by any county, municipality, political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof. All notes, mortgages, security agreements, letters of credit, or other instruments which arise out of or are given to secure the repayment of bonds issued in connection with a project financed under this part are also exempt from taxation. The exemption granted by this subsection shall not be applicable to any tax imposed by chapter 220 on interest, income, or profits on debt obligations owned by corporations.
(2) Any revenue bonds issued hereunder shall be and constitute legal investments for all public bodies and for all banks, savings banks, guardians, insurance funds, trustees or other fiduciaries and shall be and constitute eligible securities to be deposited as collateral for the security of any state, county, municipal or other public funds.
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 215.47, bonds, notes, or obligations of any municipality or political subdivision or any agency or authority of this state, collateralized as to principal and interest by any investment otherwise authorized by s. 215.47, in cases where such collateral is to be utilized to guarantee payment and performance bond obligations for maritime and other construction projects undertaken by employers in this state, where the employer could not receive a payment or performance bond absent such guarantee, and where the municipality or political subdivision is experiencing economic distress by reason of a high unemployment rate or other factors, shall constitute legal investments for state, county, municipal, and all other public funds. For purposes of s. 159.02(4), the word “project” shall also include any escrow fund pledged as collateral to be utilized for the purposes and under the circumstances described in this subsection.