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On June 30, 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida House Bill 7031 ("HB <br />7031 "), eliminating both the State Business Rent Tax and Discretionary Sales Surtaxes on <br />commercial leases effective October 1, 2025. HB 7031 fully repeals Section 212.031, <br />Florida Statutes, which imposes the sales tax on commercial lease rental payments, as of <br />October 1, 2025. However, HB 7031 does not affect the sales tax on rental income from <br />motor vehicle, boat or aircraft storage or on short-term residential rentals with a term of <br />less than six months, which are imposed by Section 212.03, Florida Statutes. Accordingly, <br />the County's Discretionary Sales Surtaxes on commercial lease rental payments will not be <br />collected by FDOR and remitted to the County effective October 1, 2025, and will not be <br />available to pay debt service on any Non -Ad Valorem Revenue Obligations thereafter. The <br />County does not expect the financial impacts of HB 7031 to impact its ability to pay debt <br />service on the Series 2025 Bonds. <br />Fuel Taxes <br />The County receives proceeds of three different fuel taxes, all of which are generally <br />described below. <br />Under current Florida law, proceeds of fuel taxes may only be used for various <br />transportation -related expenditures as provided in the specific statutes and law governing <br />such taxes. Accordingly, the County may not use proceeds of the fuel taxes described <br />below to pay debt service on the Series 2025 Bonds. However, such fuel tax proceeds <br />may be available to pay debt service on certain other Non -Ad Valorem Revenue <br />obligations that may subsequently be issued and may be used to pay for <br />transportation related expenses of the County. <br />Six -Cent Local Option Fuel Tax. Section 336.025(1)(a), Florida Statutes, authorizes <br />counties to impose a local option fuel tax of up to six cents upon every gallon of motor fuel <br />and diesel fuel sold in the county and taxed under Chapter 206, Florida Statutes,. upon <br />approval of a majority vote of the governing body of a county or by voter approval in a <br />county -wide referendum. Counties may pledge any portion of the local option fuel tax to <br />the repayment of bonds. Pursuant to Section 336.025(1)(a), Florida Statutes, Chapter 206, <br />Florida Statutes, and Ordinance No. 92-26, adopted by the County on July 14, 1992 (the <br />"Six -Cent Local Option Fuel Tax Ordinance"), the County levies a county -wide six cents <br />per gallon local option fuel tax (the "Indian River County Six -Cent Fuel Tax"), upon every <br />gallon of motor fuel and diesel fuel sold in the County. <br />The Indian River County Six -Cent Fuel Tax is collected by merchants and paid to <br />the FDOR. The FDOR deposits the proceeds of the tax into the State's Local Option Fuel <br />Tax Trust Fund. The FDOR is authorized to deduct certain administrative costs incurred <br />in collecting, administering, enforcing and distributing the proceeds of such tax to the <br />counties in an amount not to exceed 2% of total collections from the Local Option Fuel <br />Tax Trust Fund. <br />24 <br />