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Florida Special District Handbook Online

Section 1 - 1: Introduction

A Brief History of Special Districts

Benjamin Franklin established the first special district on December 7, 1736, when he created the Union Fire Company of Philadelphia, a volunteer fire department. Residents in a certain neighborhood paid a fee to receive fire protection services. Any resident not paying the fee had no fire protection services. Soon, many volunteer fire departments formed throughout Philadelphia. This prompted Franklin to boast that his city had the best fire service in the world.

In Florida, the first special districts were created almost 190 years ago. Then, Florida was a territory of log settlements scattered between the only two cities, Pensacola and St. Augustine. The entire territory consisted of two large counties, Escambia and St. Johns, whose contiguous border was defined by the Suwannee River. Because no roads existed, the Territorial legislators had to make the long, difficult sea voyage between the co-capitals, Pensacola and St. Augustine. In 1822, the legislators voted to establish a capital in a more convenient location. A year later, two men met on a pine-covered hill, halfway between Pensacola and St. Augustine, and chose the site of the new capital. Within a year, Florida's first Capitol, a small log cabin just big enough for all six legislators, was built in what is today Tallahassee.

Early, Floridians realized that the transportation needs of a growing territory could be effectively managed by a group of local citizens organized into a district with vested powers. During the same session that the decision was made to move the capital, the Territorial Legislature also authorized the creation of the first special districts in Florida by enacting the Road, Highway, and Ferry Act of 1822. Created to establish and maintain public roads, the first road districts had no taxation authority and solved their labor needs by conscription. Men failing to report to work were fined one dollar per day.

In 1845, soon after Florida became a state, the Legislature went a step further and established the first special district by special act. Five commissioners were empowered to drain the "Alachua Savannah". To finance the project, the first special assessments were made on landowners based on the number of acres owned and the benefit derived.

The popularity of special districts to fund public works continued throughout the end of the 19th century as more settlers came to Florida. By the 1920's, the population had increased substantially in response to Florida's land boom. Many special districts were created to finance large engineering projects. Some of these special districts are still in existence today, such as the South Florida Conservancy District and the Florida Inland Navigation District. By the 1930's, the surge of new residents created the need for the first mosquito eradication district and other very specialized districts. After World War II, the baby boom and Florida's growing popularity created the need for a variety of new special districts, such as aviation authorities and hyacinth control districts. Soon, beach erosion, hospital, and fire control special districts grew rapidly along with the traditional road, bridge, and drainage special districts.

Uniform Special District Accountability Act of 1989

In 1989, the Florida Legislature passed the Uniform Special District Accountability Act of 1989 (Chapter 189, Florida Statutes - Special Districts: General Provisions). This Act sets forth the general provisions for all types of special districts, although it excludes certain types of special districts from certain sections. The Act addresses such provisions as the creation, operation, financial reporting, taxation/assessments, elections, definitions, compliance with general law provisions, (e.g., Government-in-the-Sunshine), and comprehensive planning of special districts. These provisions are discussed in more detail through the Florida Special District Handbook Online.

Special District Advantages - Reasons Special Districts Are Created

The Florida Legislature through a special act, the Governor and Cabinet through a rule, and cities and counties through local ordinances and general law authority, may create special districts. For more information about creating special districts, see Section 1 - 4: Creating, Amending, Merging, and Dissolving Special Districts; Reviewing and Revising Rules. Some of the reasons special districts are created include the following:

Additional Information

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