Terms Used In Florida Statutes > Chapter 335

• Adjusted for family size: means adjusted in a manner which results in an income eligibility level which is lower for households with fewer than four people, or higher for households with more than four people, than the base income eligibility level determined as provided in subsection (9), subsection (10), or subsection (12), based upon a formula as established by rule of the corporation. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• Adjusted gross income: means all wages, assets, regular cash or noncash contributions or gifts from persons outside the household, and such other resources and benefits as may be determined to be income by rule of the department, adjusted for family size, less deductions allowable under…. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• Affordable: means :
  (a) With respect to a housing unit to be occupied by very-low-income persons, that monthly rents, or monthly mortgage payments including property taxes and insurance, do not exceed 30 percent of that amount which represents 50 percent of the median adjusted gross annual income for the households within the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) or, if not within an MSA, within the county in which the housing unit is located, divided by 12. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• Agency: means the ¹Florida Housing Finance Agency as it exists before January 1, 1998, and thereafter as previously existing under state law. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Bond: means any bond, debenture, note, or other evidence of financial indebtedness issued by the corporation under and pursuant to this act. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Commercial fishing worker: means a laborer who is employed on a seasonal, temporary, or permanent basis in fishing in salt water or fresh water and who derived at least 50 percent of her or his income in the immediately preceding 12 months from such employment. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Community-based organization: means a private corporation organized under chapter 617 to assist in the provision of housing and related services on a not-for-profit basis within a designated area, including a municipality, county, or area of more than one municipality or county. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Contract: means the contract between the executive director of the department and the corporation for provision of housing services referenced in…. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Contribution: means a gift, subscription, conveyance, deposit, loan, payment, or distribution of money or anything of value, including contributions in kind having an attributable monetary value in any form, made directly or indirectly for the purpose of influencing an election. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Corporation: means the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Corporation: means the Florida Housing Finance Corporation as created in…. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• Covered employee: means those corporation employees designated by rule of the corporation. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Department: means the Department of Economic Opportunity. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Department: means the Department of Economic Opportunity. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Development costs: means the sum total of all costs incurred in the development of a project which are approved by the corporation as reasonable and necessary. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Director: means the executive director of the Department of Economic Opportunity. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• Eligible persons: means one or more natural persons or a family, irrespective of race, creed, national origin, or sex, determined by the corporation pursuant to a rule to be of low, moderate, or middle income. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Farmworker: includes a person who has retired as a laborer due to age, disability, or illness. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fund: means the Florida Affordable Housing Trust Fund as created in this part. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Lending institution: means any bank or trust company, mortgage banker, savings bank, credit union, national banking association, savings and loan association, building and loan association, insurance company, the Florida Housing Development Corporation, or other financial institution or governmental agency authorized to transact business in this state and which customarily provides service or otherwise aids in the financing of mortgages on real property located in the state. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Local government: means a unit of local general-purpose government as defined in…. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Low-income persons: means one or more natural persons or a family, the total annual adjusted gross household income of which does not exceed 80 percent of the median annual adjusted gross income for households within the state, or 80 percent of the median annual adjusted gross income for households within the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) or, if not within an MSA, within the county in which the person or family resides, whichever is greater. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• Members: means the members of the board of directors of the corporation. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Misdemeanor: Usually a petty offense, a less serious crime than a felony, punishable by less than a year of confinement.
• Moderate-income persons: means one or more natural persons or a family, the total annual adjusted gross household income of which is less than 120 percent of the median annual adjusted gross income for households within the state, or 120 percent of the median annual adjusted gross income for households within the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) or, if not within an MSA, within the county in which the household is located, whichever is greater. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Officers: means the chair, vice chair, and secretary of the board of directors of the corporation. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• 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: means any work or improvement located or to be located in the state, including real property, buildings, and any other real and personal property, designed and intended for the primary purpose of providing decent, safe, and sanitary residential housing for persons or families, whether new construction, the acquisition of existing residential housing, or the remodeling, improvement, rehabilitation, or reconstruction of existing housing, together with such related nonhousing facilities as the corporation determines to be necessary, convenient, or desirable. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Service provider: except as otherwise defined in…. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Services: means the professional services normally provided by the service provider. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Sponsor: means any individual, association, corporation, joint venture, partnership, trust, local government, or other legal entity or any combination thereof which:
  (a) Has been approved by the corporation as qualified to own, construct, acquire, rehabilitate, reconstruct, operate, lease, manage, or maintain a project; and
  (b) Except for a local government, has agreed to subject itself to the regulatory powers of the corporation. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• State: means the State of Florida. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• State Board of Administration: means the State Board of Administration created by and referred to in…. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• State Housing Trust Fund: means the trust fund established pursuant to…. See Florida Statutes 420.503
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Very-low-income persons: means one or more natural persons or a family, not including students as defined herein, the total annual adjusted gross household income of which does not exceed 50 percent of the median annual adjusted gross income for households within the state, or 50 percent of the median annual adjusted gross income for households within the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) or, if not within an MSA, within the county in which the person or family resides, whichever is greater. See Florida Statutes 420.602
• writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01