May establish water plants.
Tampa Related Laws, art. XXI, § 21.04
in effectSec. 21.04. - May establish water plants.
That the City of Tampa be and it is hereby authorized to establish, maintain and operate one or more plants for supplying water for municipal use and for the use of such of its inhabitants as may require and pay for the same, and for this purpose it may build and construct its own plant without acquiring the plant of any other person or corporation engaged in supplying the city and its inhabitants with water; or it may acquire by purchase or by the exercise of the right of eminent domain any existing plant, and the word "plant" as here used shall include all the property of any person or corporation necessarily used in supplying the City of Tampa and its inhabitants with water. If it should be deemed expedient by the Mayor and City Council to acquire any existing plant and the parties in interest cannot agree upon the price to be paid therefor, such price shall be determined by condemnation proceedings instituted by the city in the exercise of the right of eminent domain, or by arbitration in the manner provided in the franchise of the person or corporation owning such plant, if there be any such franchise and it so provides, or by arbitration in the manner provided by the laws of the State of Florida with respect to arbitration, and such arbitration shall be made a rule of Court; but should condemnation proceedings be resorted to by the city, the petitioner shall have ninety days after the rendition of the judgment to pay into the Court for the use of the defendant the compensation ascertained by the jury before the proceedings shall become null and void, and for good cause, further time not exceeding thirty days may be allowed by the Court, and except as otherwise provided in this section, the City of Tampa, in exercising the right of eminent domain, shall proceed in the manner provided by Chapter 6866 of the Laws of Florida, approved June 5, 1915, being "An Act Authorizing Cities and Towns to Exercise the Right of Eminent Domain, Prescribing the Procedure in Such Cases, and Providing for the Payment for Property so Acquired." If, however, the City Council deems it expedient to build and construct one or more plants for supplying water for municipal use and for the use of its inhabitants without acquiring the property of any other person or corporation engaged in supplying the city and its inhabitants with water, the City Council shall by resolution to be recorded in its Minutes request the Commissioners of Public Works [18]to furnish the City Council with plans and specifications for such a plant or plants and an itemized statement of the approximate cost thereof, including a water supply sufficient for the needs of the city and its inhabitants, and the City Council shall at the same time provide the Commissioners of Public Works* with sufficient funds to enable them to comply with such request, and a certified copy of said resolution shall be delivered to the Chairman of the Commissioners of Public Works* without delay, and within three days thereafter, if it is possible, the Commissioners of Public Works* shall hold a meeting for the purpose of considering and taking action upon said resolution, and it shall be the duty of the Commissioners of Public Works* to take such action as will enable them within sixty days from their first meeting as herein provided to comply with the request of the City Council as set forth in said resolution.
(Laws of Fla. 1887, Ch. 3779, § 62; Laws of Fla. 1919, Ch. 8364, § 14; Compiled Charter 1958, § 772)
Source: City of Tampa, Code of Ordinances and Charter and Related Laws (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/fl/tampa/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CHRELA_PTBRELA_ARTXXIUTATSY_DIV1GE_S21.04MAESWAPLFetched: 10/28/2026