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Fort Lauderdale pulls proposal to create dependent special district amid questions about referendum requirement
Summary
City staff removed a first-reading ordinance to create a dependent special district after review showed the state constitution may require a public referendum to levy ad valorem taxes; commissioners urged extensive public education before proceeding.
The Fort Lauderdale City Commission removed from its Feb. 4 agenda a first-reading ordinance that would have created a dependent special district to fund additional fire-rescue staffing and facilities, after staff and legal review raised questions about whether levying ad valorem taxes for such a district would require a public referendum under the state constitution.
City Attorney’s office staff told the commission that many county-created districts have been established under county statutes and processes that differ from municipal approaches, and that constitutional provisions could require a vote of the district’s freeholders to set millage. Because of those legal nuances, staff recommended pulling the item to do…
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