State excise tax on property insurance premiums authorized; procedure.

For any municipality, special fire control district, chapter plan, local law municipality, local law special fire control district, or local law plan under this chapter:

(1) Each municipality or special fire control district in this state described and classified in s. 175.041, having a lawfully established firefighters’ pension trust fund or municipal fund or special fire control district fund, by whatever name known, providing pension benefits to firefighters as provided under this chapter, may assess and impose on every insurance company, corporation, or other insurer now engaged in or carrying on, or who shall hereinafter engage in or carry on, the business of property insurance as shown by the records of the Office of Insurance Regulation of the Financial Services Commission, an excise tax in addition to any lawful license or excise tax now levied by each of the municipalities or special fire control districts, respectively, amounting to 1.85 percent of the gross amount of receipts of premiums from policyholders on all premiums collected on property insurance policies covering property within the corporate limits of such municipalities or within the legally defined boundaries of special fire control districts, respectively. Whenever the boundaries of a special fire control district that has lawfully established a firefighters’ pension trust fund encompass a portion of the corporate territory of a municipality that has also lawfully established a firefighters’ pension trust fund, that portion of the tax receipts attributable to insurance policies covering property situated both within the municipality and the special fire control district shall be given to the fire service provider. For the purpose of this section, the boundaries of a special fire control district include an area that has been annexed until the completion of the 4-year period provided for in s. 171.093(4), or other agreed-upon extension, or if a special fire control district is providing services under an interlocal agreement executed in accordance with s. 171.093(3). The agent shall identify the fire service provider on the property owner’s application for insurance. Remaining revenues collected pursuant to this chapter shall be distributed to the municipality or special fire control district according to the location of the insured property.

(2) In the case of multiple peril policies with a single premium for both the property and casualty coverages in such policies, 70 percent of such premium shall be used as the basis for the 1.85-percent tax.

(3) This excise tax shall be payable annually on March 1 of each year after the passage of an ordinance, in the case of a municipality, or resolution, in the case of a special fire control district, assessing and imposing the tax authorized by this section. Installments of taxes shall be paid according to the provision of s. 624.5092(2)(a), (b), and (c).

This section also applies to any municipality consisting of a single consolidated government which is made up of a former county and one or more municipalities, consolidated pursuant to the authority in s. 3 or s. 6(e), Art. VIII of the State Constitution, and to property insurance policies covering property within the boundaries of the consolidated government, regardless of whether the properties are located within one or more separately incorporated areas within the consolidated government, provided the properties are being provided fire protection services by the consolidated government. This section also applies to any municipality, as provided in s. 175.041(3)(c), which has entered into an interlocal agreement to receive fire protection services from another municipality participating under this chapter. The excise tax may be levied on all premiums collected on property insurance policies covering property located within the corporate limits of the municipality receiving the fire protection services, but will be available for distribution to the municipality providing the fire protection services.