Fla. Stat. § 348.753 — Florida Code / Title XXVI / Chapter 348 / Part III / Section 348.753
348.753 Central Florida Expressway Authority.
Status: in_force

(1) There is created and established a body politic and corporate, an agency of the state, to be known as the Central Florida Expressway Authority.

(2)(a) Immediately on June 20, 2014, the Central Florida Expressway Authority shall assume the governance and control of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority System, including its assets, personnel, contracts, obligations, liabilities, facilities, and tangible and intangible property. Any rights in such property, and other legal rights of the authority, are transferred to the Central Florida Expressway Authority. The Central Florida Expressway Authority shall immediately succeed to and assume the powers, responsibilities, and obligations of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Central Florida Expressway Authority, upon its formation, be the successor party to the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority under the land acquisition contract dated November 11, 2013, and be subject to all terms and provisions, including conditions precedent and rights of termination, stated in the contract. (c) The transfer pursuant to this subsection is subject to the terms and covenants provided for the protection of the holders of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority bonds in the lease-purchase agreement and the resolutions adopted in connection with the issuance of the bonds. Further, the transfer does not impair the terms of the contract between the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority and the bondholders, does not act to the detriment of the bondholders, and does not diminish the security for the bonds. After the transfer, the Central Florida Expressway Authority shall operate and maintain the expressway system and any other facilities of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority in accordance with the terms, conditions, and covenants contained in the bond resolutions and lease-purchase agreement securing the bonds of the authority. The Central Florida Expressway Authority shall collect toll revenues and apply them to the payment of debt service as provided in the bond resolution securing the bonds and shall expressly assume all obligations relating to the bonds to ensure that the transfer will have no adverse impact on the security for the bonds. The transfer does not make the obligation to pay the principal and interest on the bonds a general liability of the Central Florida Expressway Authority or pledge additional expressway system revenues to payment of the bonds. Revenues that are generated by the expressway system and other facilities of the Central Florida Expressway Authority which were pledged by the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority to payment of the bonds will remain subject to the pledge for the benefit of the bondholders. The transfer does not modify or eliminate any prior obligation of the department to pay certain costs of the expressway system from sources other than revenues of the expressway system.

(3) The governing body of the authority shall consist of ten members. The chairs of the boards of the county commissions of Seminole, Lake, Brevard, and Osceola Counties shall each appoint one member from his or her respective county, who must be a commission member or chair or the county mayor. The Mayor of Orange County shall appoint a member from the Orange County Commission. Subject to confirmation by the Senate during the next regular session of the Legislature, the Governor shall appoint three citizen members, each of whom must be a resident of either Orange County, Seminole County, Lake County, Brevard County, or Osceola County. Refusal or failure of the Senate to confirm an appointment shall create a vacancy. The Mayor of Orange County and the Mayor of the City of Orlando shall also serve as members. The executive director of the Florida Turnpike Enterprise shall serve as a nonvoting advisor to the governing body of the authority. Each member appointed by the Governor shall serve for 4 years, with his or her term ending on December 31 of his or her last year of service. Each county-appointed member shall serve for 2 years. Each appointed member shall hold office until his or her successor has been appointed and has qualified. A vacancy occurring during a term must be filled only for the balance of the unexpired term. Each appointed member of the authority must be a person of outstanding reputation for integrity, responsibility, and business ability, but, except as provided in this subsection, a person who is an officer or employee of a municipality or county may not be an appointed member of the authority. Any member of the authority is eligible for reappointment.

(4)(a) The authority shall elect one of its members as the chair of the authority, one of its members as vice chair, and one of its members as treasurer. The chair, vice chair, and treasurer shall hold such offices at the will of the authority. Six members of the authority constitute a quorum, and the vote of six members is required for any action taken by the authority. A vacancy in the authority does not impair the right of a quorum of the authority to exercise all of the rights and perform all of the duties of the authority. (b) Upon the effective date of his or her appointment, or as soon thereafter as practicable, each appointed member of the authority shall enter upon his or her duties. Members of the authority may be removed from office by the Governor for misconduct, malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance in office. (c) Members of the authority are entitled to receive reimbursement from the authority for travel and other necessary expenses incurred in connection with the business of the authority as provided in s. 112.061, but may not draw salaries or other compensation.

(5) The authority may employ an executive secretary, an executive director, its own counsel and legal staff, technical experts, and the engineers and employees that it requires. The authority may determine the qualifications and fix the compensation of such persons, firms, or corporations, and may employ a fiscal agent or agents; however, the authority shall solicit sealed proposals from at least three persons, firms, or corporations for the performance of any services as fiscal agents. The authority may delegate to one or more of its agents or employees the power it deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this part.

(6) A member or the executive director of the authority may not: (a) Personally represent another person or entity for compensation before the authority for a period of 2 years following vacation of his or her position. (b) After retirement or termination, have an employment or contractual relationship with a business entity other than an agency as defined in s. 112.312, in connection with a contract in which the member or executive director personally and substantially participated in through decision, approval, disapproval, recommendation, rendering of advice, or investigation while he or she was a member or employee of the authority.

(7) The authority’s general counsel shall serve as the authority’s ethics officer.

(8) Authority board members, employees, and consultants who hold positions that may influence authority decisions shall refrain from engaging in any relationship that may adversely affect their judgment in carrying out authority business. To prevent such conflicts of interest and preserve the integrity and transparency of the authority to the public, the following disclosures must be made annually on a disclosure form: (a) Any relationship a board member, employee, or consultant has which affords a current or future financial benefit to such board member, employee, or consultant, or to a relative or business associate of such board member, employee, or consultant, and which a reasonable person would conclude has the potential to create a prohibited conflict of interest. As used in this subsection, the term “relative” has the same meaning as in s. 112.312. (b) Whether a relative of a board member, employee, or consultant is a registered lobbyist, and if so, the names of the lobbyist’s clients. Such names shall be provided in writing to the ethics officer. (c) Any and all interests in real property that a board member, employee, or consultant has, or that a relative, principal, client, or business associate of such board member, employee, or consultant has, if such real property is located within, or within a one-half mile radius of, any actual or prospective authority roadway project. The executive director shall provide a corridor map and a property ownership list reflecting the ownership of all real property within the disclosure area, or an alignment map with a list of associated owners, to all board members, employees, and consultants.

(9) The disclosure forms required under subsection (8) must be reviewed by the ethics officer or, if a form is filed by the general counsel, by the executive director.

(10) The conflict of interest process shall be outlined in the authority’s code of ethics.

(11) Authority employees and consultants are prohibited from serving on the governing body of the authority while employed by or under contract with the authority.

(12) The code of ethics policy shall be reviewed and updated by the ethics officer and presented for board approval at a minimum of once every 2 years.

(13) Employees shall be adequately informed and trained on the code of ethics and shall continually participate in ongoing ethics education.

(14) The requirements in subsections (6)-(13) are in addition to the requirements that the members and the executive director of the authority are required to follow under chapter 112.

(15) Violations of subsections (6), (8), and (11) are punishable in accordance with s. 112.317.

History: s. 3, ch. 63-573; s. 9, ch. 88-215; s. 520, ch. 95-148; s. 16, ch. 97-100; ss. 3, 21, ch. 2014-171; s. 28, ch. 2015-2; s. 1, ch. 2016-193; s. 1, ch. 2017-56.