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RESOLUTION SUPPORTING A PACKAGE OF BILLS FILED OR SIMILAR LEGISLATION RELATED TO ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS THAT WOULD (I) PROTECT CERTAIN INFORMATION COLLECTED ABOUT HOMELESS PERSONS FROM PUBLIC RECORDS DISCLOSURE; (II) AUTHORIZE THE GOVERNING BODY OF A COUNTY TO LEVY A DISCRETIONARY SALES SURTAX TO FUND HOMELESS SERVICES AND FACILITIES WITHIN THE COUNTY, SUBJECT TO REFERENDUM APPROVAL; AND (III) PROVIDE A DEDICATED FUNDING SOURCE THROUGH THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT HOUSING TRUST FUND TO PROVIDE OPERATING AND OTHER SUPPORT AS WELL AS TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO LEAD AGENCIES OF HOMELESS ASSISTANCE CONTINUUMS OF CARE

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WHEREAS, three bills were filed recently by Senator Jack Latvala (R - Clearwater) that would provide potential funding for homeless housing and services, as well as protections for certain personal information collected about homeless persons (Senate Bill (SB) 516, SB 786 and SB 1090); and
WHEREAS, SB 516 would protect individual identifying information collected about homeless persons from public records disclosure; and
WHEREAS, SB 786 would allow the governing body of a County to levy a discretionary sales surtax that, if approved in a referendum by a majority of electors, could be used to fund homeless services and facilities within the County; and
WHEREAS, SB 1090 specifies criteria to determine award levels for Challenge Grants and would provide training, technical assistance, and a dedicated source of funding for operating and other support for lead agencies of homeless assistance continuums of care using Local Government Housing Trust Fund revenues; and
WHEREAS, SB 516, SB 786 and SB 1090 each have a House companion bill: HB 399 by Representative Bobby Powell (D - West Palm Beach), HB 723 by Representative Patrick Rooney (R - Palm Beach Gardens) and HB 979 by Representative Kathleen Peters (R - St. Petersburg), respectively; and
WHEREAS, on January 22, 2014, this Board in Resolution No. R-71-14 approved departmental state legislative requests for the 2014 session; and
WHEREAS, among the departmental state legislative requests was a request for funding Challenge Grants and a request for funding support for the State�s Local Homeless Coalitions submitted by the Homeless Trust; and
WHEREAS, SB 1090 provides a dedicated funding source for homeless assistance by distributing the first four percent (4%) of the amount distributed each year to the Local Government Housing Trust Fund (''the 4 % Distribution''); and
WHEREAS, of the 4% Distribution, SB 1090 provides that 95 percent will go to the Florida Department of Children and Families to provide operating and other support to designated lead agencies for homeless continuums of care and the remaining 5 percent will go to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to provide lead agencies with training and technical assistance; and
WHEREAS, on November 19, 2013, this Board in Resolution No. R-952-13 urged the Florida Legislature to use Florida�s Sadowski Act Affordable Housing Trust Fund revenues solely for affordable housing programs, and not to sweep documentary stamp tax/affordable housing trust fund revenues to the state general revenue fund for other purposes; and
WHEREAS, on November 19, 2013, this Board included the Affordable Housing issue as one its Critical Priorities for the 2014 legislative session; and
WHEREAS, the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust has requested that the Board support the package of bills related to addressing homelessness that is currently pending before the Legislature for the 2014 session,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Supports the package of bills related to addressing homelessness that are currently pending before the Legislature for the 2014 session, consisting of SB 516, SB 786, SB 1090, HB 399, HB 723 and HB 979, or similar legislation.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of this Board to send a certified copy of this resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, Senator Jack Latvala, Representative Kathleen Peters, Representative Bobby Powell, Representative Patrick Rooney, and the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County�s state lobbyists to advocate for the bills set forth in Section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2014 state legislative package to include this item.