(1) “Authority” or “educational facilities authority” means any of the public corporations created by s. 243.21 or any board, body, commission, department, or officer of the county succeeding to the principal functions thereof or to whom the powers conferred upon each authority by this part shall be given by this part.

(2) “Commission” means the board of county commissioners or other legislative body charged with governing the county (as the case may be).

(3) “Clerk” means the clerk of the commission or the officer of the county charged with the duties customarily imposed upon the clerk thereof.

(4) “Real property” includes all lands, including improvements and fixtures thereon, and any property of any nature appurtenant thereto, or used in connection therewith and every estate, interest and right, legal or equitable, therein, including terms for years and liens by way of judgment, mortgage or otherwise and the indebtedness secured by such liens.

(5) “Project” means a structure suitable for use as a dormitory or other housing facility, dining hall, student union, administration building, academic building, library, laboratory, research facility, classroom, athletic facility, health care facility, and maintenance, storage, or utility facility, and other structures or facilities related thereto, or required thereto, or required or useful for the instruction of students, or the conducting of research, or the operation of an institution for higher education, including parking and other facilities or structures, essential or convenient for the orderly conduct of such institution for higher education and shall also include equipment and machinery and other similar items necessary or convenient for the operation of a particular facility or structure in the manner for which its use is intended but shall not include such items as books, fuel, supplies or other items which are customarily deemed to result in a current operating charge. The term also includes a loan in anticipation of tuition revenues by a private institution for higher education.

(6) “Cost,” as applied to a project or any portion thereof financed under the provisions of this part, embraces all or any part of the cost of construction and acquisition of all lands, structures, real or personal property, rights, rights-of-way, franchises, easements and interests acquired or used for a project, the cost of demolishing or removing any buildings or structures on land so acquired, including the cost of acquiring any lands to which such buildings or structures may be removed, the cost of all machinery and equipment, financing charges, interest prior to, during and for a period of 30 months after completion of such construction, provisions for working capital, reserves for principal and interest and for extensions, enlargements, additions and improvements, cost of engineering, financial and legal services, plans, specifications, studies, surveys, estimates of cost and of revenues, administrative expenses, expenses necessary or incident to determining the feasibility or practicability of constructing the project and such other expenses as may be necessary or incident to the construction and acquisition of the project, the financing of such construction and acquisition and the placing of the project in operation. In the case of a loan in anticipation of tuition revenues, the term “cost” means the amount of the loan in anticipation of revenues which does not exceed the amount of tuition revenues anticipated to be received by the borrowing institution for higher education in the 1-year period following the date of the loan, plus costs related to the issuance of the loans, or bonds, the proceeds of which fund the loans, and any related cost of debt service reserve funds associated therewith.

(7) “Bonds” or “revenue bonds” mean revenue bonds of the authority issued under the provisions of this part, including revenue refunding bonds, notwithstanding that the same may be secured by mortgage or the full faith and credit of a participating institution for higher education or any other lawfully pledged security of a participating institution for higher education.

(8) “Institution for higher education” means an educational institution which by virtue of law or charter is an accredited, nonprofit educational institution empowered to provide a program of education beyond the high school level.

(9) “Participating institution” means an institution for higher education which, pursuant to the provisions of this part, shall undertake the financing and construction or acquisition of a project or shall undertake the refunding or refinancing of obligations or of a mortgage or of advances as provided in and permitted by this part.

(10) “Loan in anticipation of tuition revenues” means a loan to a private institution for higher education under circumstances in which tuition revenues anticipated to be received by the institution in any budget year are estimated to be insufficient at any time during the budget year to pay the operating expenses or other obligations of the institution in accordance with the budget of the institution. The loans are permitted within guidelines adopted by the authority consistent with the provisions for similar loans undertaken by school districts under s. 1011.13, excluding provisions applicable to the limitations on borrowings relating to the levy of taxes and the adoption of budgets in accordance with law applicable solely to school districts. The Effective Access to Student Education grant shall not be considered tuition revenues for the purpose of calculating a loan to a private institution pursuant to the provision of this chapter.

History.—s. 3, ch. 69-345; s. 17, ch. 99-252; s. 20, ch. 2003-1; s. 25, ch. 2018-4; s. 40, ch. 2019-3.