§ 2-2014. Qualifications.

To qualify for participation in this program a community periodical must meet the following conditions, and have a history of meeting the conditions in subsections (b), (c), (e), (f), (g), (h), and (k), for three years prior to entering the program:

(a)

Be circulated free of charge. A periodical will be deemed circulating free of charge even if it charges for copies that are delivered by mail provided that at least eighty percent of its circulation is distributed at distribution points in public places in Miami-Dade County where the public can obtain copies free of any charge, as provided herein. The periodical shall not display a per edition charge anywhere in the publication, but may advertise a subscription rate for copies delivered by mail;

(b)

Contain articles of local, national, or international news of interest to the general public;

(c)

Be published in amounts of no less than 5,000 copies for each edition which must be distributed within Miami-Dade County;

(d)

Contain no less than 12 pages in each edition and contain no less than 6 pages of non-advertising content such as news, calendar items, stories, photographs, recipes, comics, puzzles, and editorials; this content must consist of no less than 1,000 words; and any content whose placement in the periodical is paid for by a third party, including commercial and political advertising, must be labeled to indicate it is paid advertising when necessary to avoid consumer confusion;

(e)

Prominently display the publication date on the masthead, cover, inside cover or other easily viewed location;

(f)

Be published continuously throughout the year on a schedule set before the year begins, either once per month, twice per month, or four times per month;

(g)

Have a main office or headquarters from which the periodical is published with a street address located in Miami-Dade County;

(h)

Have an occupational license that reflects its main office or headquarters street address and that is valid for the year in which the periodical intends to participate in the program;

(i)

Be printed in Miami-Dade County; but use of printing facilities outside of the County is permissible in emergency situations outside the control of the periodical, provided the periodical returns to printing in the County when the emergency has ended; and use of printing facilities outside of the County is also permissible when the cost of printing the periodical within the County is ten percent or more expensive than the cost of printing outside the County, as reflected in written cost estimates or bills obtained by the periodical from the printers;

(j)

Be distributed in an established manner, either by mail or by delivery to no less than 10 different distribution points dispersed throughout the community it serves, none of which shall be a County-owned facility;

(k)

Have a history of having published continuously for at least three years prior to the first year for which it seeks to participate in the program;

(l)

Be registered as a vendor with the Miami-Dade County Internal Services Department, or its successor department responsible for registering vendors;

(m)

Have a rate card reflecting the periodical's standard rates;

(n)

Provide Miami-Dade County with price guarantee for rates for the year in which it intends to participate that comply with the rate requirements of this ordinance;

(o)

Otherwise have complied with the provisions of this ordinance regarding including, but not limited to, applications, upkeep of records, reporting changes in information, and audit; and

(p)

Provide business documents indicating the persons who control or own the periodical, such as articles of incorporation or partnership agreements.

(Ord. No. 12-25, § 1, 4-3-12; Ord. No. 12-42, § 1, 6-19-12; Ord. No. 12-104, § 1, 12-4-12)