Hospital Districts Could Face Taxing Votes

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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) --  A new proposal filed Tuesday would require a vote every 10 years on whether local hospital districts should be allowed to continue taxing residents.

The proposal (HB 953), filed by Rep. Fred Costello, R-Ormond Beach, would require reauthorization of hospital-district taxing authority to be placed on general-election ballots every 10 years.

If voters turn down reauthorization, taxing authority would be terminated.

In such cases, hospital districts could continue to operate without taxing authority or the districts would be dissolved.

The bill, which will be considered during the legislative session that starts next week, also would allow for questions to go before voters about forming new, expanded or combined hospital districts.

(The News Service of Florida's contributed to this report.)