HB 7013 (Persons-Mulicka) and SB 1058 (Hutson) are comprehensive bills dealing with special districts. Of interest to cities, the bills do the following:

•Establish a term limit of 12 years for members of an elected body governing an independent special district, unless the district’s charter provides for more restrictive terms of office. Any term of office that commenced before November 5, 2024, does not count toward the limitation created by the bill. This provision does not apply to the governing body of a community development district or any independent special district created by a special act.

•Require a continuation referendum for most independent special districts exercising ad valorem tax authority on a date certain and every 10 years thereafter.

•Provide a dissolution process for special districts that voters elect to dissolve.

•Add additional criteria for declaring a special district inactive. 

•Revise notice and procedures for proposed declaration of inactive status. 

•Authorize districts that have been declared inactive to expend funds as necessary to service outstanding debt.

•Require all special districts to adopt goals and objectives, as well as performance measures and standards to determine if those goals and objectives are being achieved. 

•Repeal a provision that allows a special district to convert itself into a municipality without legislative approval.

•Require each petition to create a community development district to contain a sworn affidavit concerning planned development. 

•Require independent special fire control districts to report certain information to the Division of State Fire Marshal. 

•Require mosquito control districts to meet certain conditions required to participate in state programs. 

•Prohibit the creation of new neighborhood improvement districts (NIDs) and require the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to conduct a performance review of existing NIDs. (Branch)