HB 1341 Summary

• Creates the Duval County Library District as a special district coterminous with Duval County boundaries to provide public library services and levy ad valorem taxes.

• Establishes a five-member governing board composed of the Jacksonville Mayor, three Jacksonville City Council members (serving 1-2 year terms), and the Duval County School Board chair, meeting at least quarterly.

• Authorizes the district to levy up to 1 mill in ad valorem taxes (subject to the city's overall 20-mill cap) and issue bonds for library facility acquisition, construction, and improvement, with all revenues used exclusively for library operations and debt service.

• Maintains the Jacksonville Board of Library Trustees as an operational body with 12 voting members appointed by the governing board, responsible for managing library facilities, hiring a master's degree-holding library director, and submitting annual reports with millage recommendations.

• Requires voter approval through a March 24, 2015 referendum for the act to take effect, contingent on passage of a straw ballot measure on August 26, 2014.