No community development district may purchase or sell a water, sewer, or wastewater reuse utility that provides service to the public for compensation, or enter into a wastewater facility privatization contract for a wastewater facility, until the governing body of the community development district has held a public hearing on the purchase, sale, or wastewater facility privatization contract and made a determination that the purchase, sale, or wastewater facility privatization contract is in the public interest. In determining if the purchase, sale, or wastewater facility privatization contract is in the public interest, the community development district shall consider, at a minimum, the following:

(1) The most recent available income and expense statement for the utility;
(2) The most recent available balance sheet for the utility, listing assets and liabilities and clearly showing the amount of contributions-in-aid-of-construction and the accumulated depreciation thereon;
(3) A statement of the existing rate base of the utility for regulatory purposes;
(4) The physical condition of the utility facilities being purchased, sold, or subject to a wastewater facility privatization contract;
(5) The reasonableness of the purchase, sales, or wastewater facility privatization contract price and terms;
(6) The impacts of the purchase, sale, or wastewater facility privatization contract on utility customers, both positive and negative;
(7)(a) Any additional investment required and the ability and willingness of the purchaser or the private firm under a wastewater facility privatization contract to make that investment, whether the purchaser is the community development district or the entity purchasing the utility from the community development district;

Terms Used In Florida Statutes 190.0125

  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Community development district: means a local unit of special-purpose government which is created pursuant to this act and limited to the performance of those specialized functions authorized by this act; the governing head of which is a body created, organized, and constituted and authorized to function specifically as prescribed in this act for the purpose of the delivery of urban community development services; and the formation, powers, governing body, operation, duration, accountability, requirements for disclosure, and termination of which are as required by general law. See Florida Statutes 190.003
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • District: means the community development district. See Florida Statutes 190.003
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
(b) In the case of a wastewater facility privatization contract, the terms and conditions on which the private firm will provide capital investment and financing or a combination thereof for contemplated capital replacements, additions, expansions, and repairs. The community development district shall give significant weight to this criteria.
(8) The alternatives to the purchase, sale, or wastewater facility privatization contract and the potential impact on utility customers if the purchase, sale, or wastewater facility privatization contract is not made;
(9)(a) The ability of the purchaser or the private firm under a wastewater facility privatization contract to provide and maintain high-quality and cost-effective utility service, whether the purchaser is the community development district or the entity purchasing the utility from the community development district;
(b) In the case of a wastewater facility privatization contract, the community development district shall give significant weight to the technical expertise and experience of the private firm in carrying out the obligations specified in the wastewater facility privatization contract; and
(10) All moneys paid by a private firm to a community development district pursuant to a wastewater facility privatization contract shall be used for the purpose of reducing or offsetting property taxes, wastewater service rates, or debt reduction or making infrastructure improvements or capital asset expenditures or other public purpose; provided, however, nothing herein shall preclude the community development district from using all or part of the moneys for the purpose of the community development district’s qualification for relief from the repayment of federal grant awards associated with the wastewater system as may be required by federal law or regulation.

The community development district shall prepare a statement showing that the purchase, sale, or wastewater facility privatization contract is in the public interest, including a summary of the purchaser’s or private firm’s experience in water, sewer, or wastewater reuse utility operation and a showing of financial ability to provide the service, whether the purchaser or private firm is the community development district or the entity purchasing the utility from the community development district.