Fla. Stat. § 348.754 — Florida Code / Title XXVI / Chapter 348 / Part III / Section 348.754
348.754 Purposes and powers.
Status: in_force

(1)(a) The authority created and established under this part is granted and has the right to acquire, hold, construct, improve, maintain, operate, own, and lease in the capacity of lessor the Central Florida Expressway System, hereinafter referred to as “system.” Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, including paragraph (2)(n), the area served by the authority shall be within the geographical boundaries of Orange, Seminole, Lake, Brevard, and Osceola Counties. (b) In the construction of the Central Florida Expressway System, the authority may construct any extensions, additions, or improvements to the system or appurtenant facilities, including all necessary approaches, roads, bridges, avenues of access, rapid transit, trams, fixed guideways, thoroughfares, and boulevards with any changes, modifications, or revisions of the project which are deemed desirable and proper. (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section to the contrary, to ensure the continued financial feasibility of the portion of the Wekiva Parkway to be constructed by the department, the authority may not, without prior consultation with the secretary of the department, construct any extensions, additions, or improvements to the expressway system in Lake County.

(2) The authority may exercise all powers necessary, appurtenant, convenient, or incidental to the implementation of the stated purposes, including, but not limited to, the following rights and powers: (a) To sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded, complain and defend in all courts. (b) To adopt, use, and alter at will a corporate seal. (c) To acquire by donation or otherwise, purchase, hold, lease as lessee, and use any franchise or any property, real, personal, mixed, or tangible or intangible, or any options in its own name or in conjunction with others, or interest in those options, necessary or desirable to carry out the purposes of the authority, and to sell, lease as lessor, transfer, and dispose of any property or interest in the property at any time acquired by it. (d) To enter into and make leases for terms not exceeding 99 years, as lessee or lessor, in order to carry out the right to lease as specified in this part. (e) To enter into and make lease-purchase agreements with the department for terms not exceeding 99 years, or until any bonds secured by a pledge of rentals pursuant to the agreement, and any refundings pursuant to the agreement, are fully paid as to both principal and interest, whichever is longer. The authority is a party to a lease-purchase agreement between the department and the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority dated December 23, 1985, as supplemented by a first supplement to the lease-purchase agreement dated November 25, 1986, and a second supplement to the lease-purchase agreement dated October 27, 1988. The authority may not enter into other lease-purchase agreements with the department and may not amend the existing agreement in a manner that expands or increases the department’s obligations unless the department determines that the agreement or amendment is necessary to permit the refunding of bonds issued before July 1, 2013. (f) To fix, alter, charge, establish, and collect rates, fees, rentals, and other charges for the services and facilities of the Central Florida Expressway System which must always be sufficient to comply with any covenants made with the holders of any bonds issued pursuant to this part; however, such right and power may be assigned or delegated by the authority to the department. Toll revenues attributable to an increase in the toll rates charged on or after June 20, 2014, for the use of a portion of the system may not be used to construct or expand a different portion of the system unless a two-thirds majority of the members of the authority votes to approve such use. This requirement does not apply if, and to the extent that: 1. Application of the requirement would violate any covenant established in a resolution or trust indenture under which bonds were issued by the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority on or before June 20, 2014; or 2. Application of the requirement would cause the authority to be unable to meet its obligations under the terms of the memorandum of understanding between the authority and the department as ratified by the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority board on February 22, 2012. Notwithstanding s. 338.165, and except as otherwise prohibited by this part, to the extent revenues of the expressway system exceed amounts required to comply with any covenants made with the holders of bonds issued pursuant to this part, revenues may be used for purposes enumerated in subsection (6), provided the expenditures are consistent with the metropolitan planning organization’s adopted long-range plan. (g) To borrow money, make and issue negotiable notes, bonds, refunding bonds, and other evidences of indebtedness or obligations, either in temporary or definitive form, for the purpose of financing all or part of the improvement or extension of the Central Florida Expressway System, and appurtenant facilities, including all approaches, streets, roads, bridges, and avenues of access for the Central Florida Expressway System and for any other purpose authorized by this part, and to secure the payment of such bonds or any part thereof by a pledge of any or all of its revenues, rates, fees, rentals, or other charges, including all or any portion of the Orange County gasoline tax funds received by the authority pursuant to any lease-purchase agreement between the authority and the department; and in general to provide for the security of the bonds and the rights and remedies of the holders thereof. However, no portion of the Orange County gasoline tax funds may be pledged for the construction of any project for which a toll is to be charged unless the anticipated toll is reasonably estimated by the board of county commissioners, at the date of its resolution pledging the funds, to be sufficient to cover the principal and interest of such obligations during the period when the pledge of funds is in effect. The bonds issued under this paragraph must mature not more than 40 years after their issue date. 1. The authority shall reimburse Orange County for any sums expended from the gasoline tax funds used for the payment of such obligations. Any gasoline tax funds so disbursed must be repaid when the authority deems it practicable, together with interest at the highest rate applicable to any obligations of the authority. 2. If, pursuant to this section, the authority funds or refunds any bonds previously issued by the authority or the commission before the bonds mature, the proceeds of such funding or refunding must, pending the prior redemption of these bonds, be invested in direct obligations of the United States. (h) To make contracts, including, but not limited to, partnerships providing for participation in ownership and revenues, and to execute all instruments necessary or convenient for conducting its business. (i) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a)-(h), to borrow money and accept grants from, and to enter into contracts, leases, or other transactions with any federal agency, the state, any agency of the state, the County of Orange, the City of Orlando, or with any other public body of the state. (j) To have the power of eminent domain, including the procedural powers granted under both chapters 73 and 74. (k) To pledge, hypothecate, or otherwise encumber any part of the revenues, rates, fees, rentals, or other charges or receipts of the authority, including all or any portion of the Orange County gasoline tax funds received by the authority pursuant to the terms of any lease-purchase agreement between the authority and the department, as security for any of the obligations of the authority. (l) To enter into partnership and other agreements respecting ownership and revenue participation in order to facilitate financing and constructing the Western Beltway, or portions thereof. (m) To do everything necessary or convenient for the conduct of its business and the general welfare of the authority, in order to comply with this part or any other law. (n) With the consent of the county within whose jurisdiction the following activities occur, the authority shall have the right to construct, operate, and maintain roads, bridges, avenues of access, transportation facilities, thoroughfares, and boulevards outside the jurisdictional boundaries of Orange, Seminole, Lake, Brevard, and Osceola Counties, together with the right to construct, repair, replace, operate, install, and maintain electronic toll payment systems thereon.

(3) The authority does not have the power to pledge the credit or taxing power of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof, including any city and any county, nor may any of the authority’s obligations be deemed to be obligations of the state or of any political subdivision or agency thereof, nor may the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof, except the authority, be liable for the payment of the principal of or interest on such obligations.

(4) The authority has no power other than by consent of an affected county or any affected city, to enter into any agreement which would legally prohibit the construction of a road by the respective county or city.

(5) The authority shall encourage the inclusion of local and small businesses in its procurement and contracting opportunities.

(6) The authority may, within the right-of-way of the expressway system, finance or refinance the planning, design, acquisition, construction, extension, rehabilitation, equipping, preservation, maintenance, or improvement of an intermodal facility or facilities, a multimodal corridor or corridors, or any programs or projects that will improve the levels of service on the expressway system.

History: s. 4, ch. 63-573; s. 1, ch. 68-8; ss. 23, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 59, ch. 95-257; s. 29, ch. 97-280; s. 56, ch. 2007-196; s. 4, ch. 2013-223; ss. 4, 21, ch. 2014-171; s. 2, ch. 2016-193; s. 2, ch. 2017-56; s. 20, ch. 2021-188; s. 46, ch. 2025-155.