(1) Whenever any board of county commissioners shall deem it necessary to erect, equip, or repair a public hospital in the county or erect and equip an addition or additions to any public hospital, they shall give notice at least once each week for 2 consecutive weeks in some newspaper published in said county, or in some newspaper published in the judicial circuit, if there be none published in the county, that at the next regular meeting of the board after the publication of said notice, such question or questions will be acted upon by said board. If, at said meeting, a majority of said board shall determine that it is necessary to erect, equip, repair, or build an addition or additions to such public hospital, they may levy a hospital building, repair, and equipment tax not exceeding 5 mills per annum, for not more than 15 consecutive years. The tax shall be assessed and collected at the same time and in the same manner as other state and county taxes are levied and collected.

(2) The tax, levied, assessed, and collected as aforesaid, shall be accumulated from year to year until utilized and expended for the public hospital purposes aforesaid.

(3) The provisions hereof shall be cumulative and in addition to all the other provisions of this chapter, and nothing herein contained shall be held to repeal, alter, or amend any of the provisions of this chapter nor repeal, alter, or amend any of the provisions of any special or local law.

(4) The provisions of this section shall not apply to Okaloosa County nor shall the provisions hereof confer the authority hereinabove provided for upon or to the county commissioners of said county.

History.—ss. 1, 2, 3, 4, ch. 57-393; s. 6, ch. 90-279.