Fla. Stat. § 159.608 — Florida Code / Title XI / Chapter 159 / Part IV / Section 159.608
159.608 Powers of housing finance authorities.
Status: in_force

A housing finance authority shall constitute a public body corporate and politic, exercising the public and essential governmental functions set forth in this act, and shall exercise its power to borrow only for the purpose as provided herein:

(1) To sue and be sued, to have a seal and to alter the same at pleasure, to have perpetual succession, to make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary or convenient to the exercise of the powers of the housing finance authority, and to make and from time to time amend and repeal bylaws, rules, and regulations, not inconsistent with this act, to carry into effect the powers and purposes of the housing finance authority.

(2) To own real and personal property acquired through the use of surplus funds or through public and private partnerships provided that the obligations of the authority are limited to project revenues and that no less than 50 percent of the units owned by a housing finance authority shall benefit very-low-income families or low-income families. For the purposes of this subsection, a “very-low-income family” means a family whose income does not exceed 50 percent of the median family income for the area, and the term “low-income family” means a family whose income does not exceed 80 percent of the median family income for the area. Family income levels shall be adjusted for family size. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this subsection, a housing finance authority may acquire real and personal property to house and equip its facilities and staff.

(3) To purchase or make commitments to purchase or to make loans for such purpose, and to take assignments of, from lending institutions acting as a principal or as an agent of the housing finance authority, mortgage loans and promissory notes accompanying such mortgage loans, including federally insured mortgage loans or participations with lending institutions in such promissory notes and mortgage loans for the construction, purchase, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of the qualifying housing development or portion thereof; provided, that the proceeds of sale or equivalent moneys shall be reinvested in mortgage loans.

(4) To borrow money through the issuance of bonds for single-family housing and qualified housing developments, to provide for and secure the payment thereof, and to provide for the rights of the holders thereof.

(5) To make loans to lending institutions under terms and conditions requiring the proceeds thereof to be used by such lending institutions for the making of new mortgages for any qualifying housing development, or portion thereof, located wholly or partially within the area of operation of such housing finance authority. Prior to making a loan to a lending institution which makes such loans or provides such financing, the lending institution must agree to use the proceeds of such loan within a reasonable period of time to make loans or to otherwise provide financing for the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of a housing development or portion thereof, and the housing finance authority must find that such loan will assist in alleviating the shortage of housing and of capital for investment in housing within its area of operation.

(6) To deposit funds into an account with a lending institution to provide security for the lending institution to make loans to eligible persons for the purchase, construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of single-family homes or to developers for the construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of qualifying housing developments or portions thereof. No funds may be deposited with a lending institution in which any depositing housing finance authority member, officer, or employee has an ownership interest. The sale price on new or existing single-family homes shall not exceed 90 percent of the median area purchase price in the area wherein the single-family home is located, as established by the United States Department of Treasury in accordance with 1 s. 3(b)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937.

(7) To invest, at the direction of the lending institution, any fund held in reserves or sinking funds or any funds not required for immediate disbursement in property or securities in which lending institutions may legally invest funds subject to their control.

(8) To make loans directly to eligible persons who otherwise cannot borrow from conventional lending sources. Such loans must be secured by first mortgages or subordinated mortgages and must be used to purchase, construct, rehabilitate, or refinance single-family residences that have purchase prices that do not exceed the purchase price limits of the county where the borrower’s residence is to be located, as mandated by federal law for tax-exempt single-family bond programs.

(9) To own, maintain, operate, control, and capitalize a limited-purpose savings and loan association to provide low-cost loans and related services to eligible persons to obtain affordable housing pursuant to this part. The bank may acquire deposits, which must be federally insured, sell mortgages in the secondary market, and issue mortgage-backed securities. The proceeds from loans and the sale of mortgages or mortgage-backed securities must be reinvested in mortgage loans. However, this subsection does not prohibit the temporary reinvestment of such proceeds in other securities and investments. The bank must have a minimum of $10 million in capital and must comply with all applicable state and federal banking and regulatory requirements and any other requirements imposed by the county.

(10)(a) To make loans or grant surplus funds to corporations that qualify as not-for-profit corporations under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and under the laws of this state, for the development of affordable housing; and (b) To do anything necessary or appropriate to further the purpose for which a housing finance authority is established, pursuant to s. 159.602, including, as further described in s. 159.08751, the power to issue mortgage credit certificates to the extent allocation is available for that purpose to qualifying individuals in lieu of issuing qualified mortgage bonds pursuant to ss. 25, 143, and 146 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or a combination of the two. Mortgage credit certificates may not be issued on December 30 or December 31 of any year.

(11) To invest and reinvest surplus funds of the housing finance authority in accordance with s. 218.415. However, in addition to the investments expressly authorized in s. 218.415(16)(a)-(g) and (17)(a)-(d), a housing finance authority may invest surplus funds in interest-bearing time deposits or savings accounts that are fully insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation regardless of whether the bank or financial institution in which the deposit or investment is made is a qualified public depository as defined in s. 280.02. This subsection is supplementary to and may not be construed as limiting any powers of a housing finance authority or providing or implying a limiting construction of any other statutory provision.

History: s. 8, ch. 78-89; s. 1, ch. 88-136; s. 14, ch. 89-121; s. 5, ch. 92-303; s. 2, ch. 93-221; s. 1, ch. 96-210; s. 2, ch. 2011-189; s. 2, ch. 2013-83; s. 85, ch. 2024-140; s. 1, ch. 2024-220.