159.602 Finding and declaration of necessity. - Florida Statutes

159.602 Finding and declaration of necessity.

It is found and declared that:

   (1) Within this state there is a shortage of housing available at prices or rentals which many persons and families can afford, and a shortage of capital for investment in such housing. This shortage constitutes a threat to the health, safety, morals, and welfare of the residents of the state, deprives the state of an adequate tax base, and causes the state to make excessive expenditures for crime prevention and control, public health, welfare, and safety, fire and accident protection, and other public services and facilities.

   (2) Such shortage cannot be relieved except through the encouragement of investment by private enterprise and the stimulation of construction and rehabilitation of housing through the use of public financing and the provision of low-cost loans to purchase affordable housing.

   (3) The financing, acquisition, construction, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of housing and of the real and personal property and other facilities necessary, incidental, and appurtenant thereto are exclusively public uses and purposes for which public money may be spent, advanced, loaned, or granted and are governmental functions of public concern.

   (4) The Congress of the United States has, by the enactment of amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, found and determined that housing may be financed by means of obligations issued by any state or local governmental unit, the interest on which obligations is exempt from federal income taxation, and has thereby provided a method to aid state and local governmental units to provide assistance to meet the need for housing.

   (5) The provisions of this act are found and declared to be necessary and in the public interest as a matter of legislative determination.

History. s. 2, ch. 78-89; s. 4, ch. 92-303.