(1)(a) There is created the Florida Mobile Home Relocation Corporation. The corporation shall be administered by a board of directors made up of six members, three of whom shall be appointed by the Secretary of Business and Professional Regulation from a list of nominees submitted by the largest nonprofit association representing mobile home owners in this state, and three of whom shall be appointed by the Secretary of Business and Professional Regulation from a list of nominees submitted by the largest nonprofit association representing the manufactured housing industry in this state. All members of the board of directors, including the chair, shall be appointed to serve for staggered 3-year terms.

(b) A member of the board of directors shall be removed from the board by the Secretary of Business and Professional Regulation, with or without cause, immediately after the written request for removal from the association in paragraph (a) that originally nominated that board member. The nominating entity must include nominees for replacement with the request for removal, and the secretary must immediately fill the vacancy created by the removal. The removal process may not occur more than once in a calendar year.

(2)(a) The board of directors may employ or retain such persons as are necessary to perform the administrative and financial transactions and responsibilities of the corporation and to perform other necessary and proper functions not prohibited by law.

(b) Members of the board of directors may be reimbursed from moneys of the corporation for actual and necessary expenses incurred by them as members but may not otherwise be compensated for their services.

(c) The corporation shall, for purposes of s. 768.28, be considered an agency of the state. Agents or employees of the corporation, members of the board of directors of the corporation, or representatives of the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes shall be considered officers, employees, or agents of the state, and actions against them and the corporation shall be governed by s. 768.28.

(d) Meetings of the board of directors are subject to the provisions of s. 286.011.

(e) Any person who receives compensation from the corporation or the park owner pursuant to ss. 723.061-723.0612 shall not have a cause of action against the corporation or the park owner for any claim arising under the rights, duties, and obligations of the corporation or park owner in ss. 723.061-723.0612.

(3) The board of directors shall:

(a) Adopt a plan of operation and articles, bylaws, and operating rules pursuant to the provisions of ss. 120.536 and 120.54 to administer the provisions of this section and ss. 723.06115, 723.06116, and 723.0612.

(b) Establish procedures under which applicants for payments from the corporation may have grievances reviewed by an impartial body and reported to the board of directors.

(4) The corporation may:

(a) Sue or be sued.

(b) Borrow from private finance sources in order to meet the demands of the relocation program established in s. 723.0612.

History.—s. 7, ch. 2001-227; s. 8, ch. 2003-263; s. 2, ch. 2005-79; s. 75, ch. 2008-240; s. 8, ch. 2015-90.