Bill Text: FL S0714 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Seaports
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2024-03-08 - Died in Transportation [S0714 Detail]
Download: Florida-2024-S0714-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 714 By Senator Wright 8-00700-24 2024714__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to seaports; amending s. 311.07, F.S.; 3 revising the minimum amount of funds to be made 4 available for the Florida Seaport Transportation and 5 Economic Development Program from the State 6 Transportation Trust Fund beginning in a specified 7 fiscal year; amending s. 311.09, F.S.; revising the 8 amount the Department of Transportation is required to 9 include in its annual legislative budget request for 10 the program; deleting obsolete language; amending s. 11 311.10, F.S.; revising the amount of funds to be made 12 available from the State Transportation Trust Fund to 13 fund the Strategic Port Investment Initiative 14 beginning in a specified fiscal year; reenacting ss. 15 320.20(3) and 339.0801(1)(f), F.S., relating to the 16 disposition of license tax moneys and the allocation 17 of increased revenues from certain provisions, 18 respectively, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 19 311.07, F.S., in references thereto; providing an 20 effective date. 21 22 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 23 24 Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 311.07, Florida 25 Statutes, is amended to read: 26 311.07 Florida seaport transportation and economic 27 development funding.— 28 (2) Beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, a minimum of 29 $50$25million per year shall be made available from the State 30 Transportation Trust Fund to fund the Florida Seaport 31 Transportation and Economic Development Program. The Florida 32 Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council created 33 in s. 311.09 shall develop guidelines for project funding. 34 Council staff, the Department of Transportation, and the 35 Department of Economic Opportunity shall work in cooperation to 36 review projects and allocate funds in accordance with the 37 schedule required for the Department of Transportation to 38 include these projects in the tentative work program developed 39 pursuant to s. 339.135(4). 40 Section 2. Subsections (9), (12), and (13) of section 41 311.09, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 42 311.09 Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic 43 Development Council.— 44 (9) The Department of Transportation shall include at least 45 $50$25million per year in its annual legislative budget 46 request for the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic 47 Development Program funded under s. 311.07. Such budget must 48 include funding for projects approved by the council which have 49 been determined by each agency to be consistent. The department 50 shall include the specific approved Florida Seaport 51 Transportation and Economic Development Program projects to be 52 funded under s. 311.07 during the ensuing fiscal year in the 53 tentative work program developed pursuant to s. 339.135(4). The 54 total amount of funding to be allocated to Florida Seaport 55 Transportation and Economic Development Program projects under 56 s. 311.07 during the successive 4 fiscal years mustshallalso 57 be included in the tentative work program developed pursuant to 58 s. 339.135(4). The council may submit to the department a list 59 of approved projects that could be made production-ready within 60 the next 2 years. The department shall submit the listshall be61submitted by the departmentas part of the needs and project 62 list prepared pursuant to s. 339.135(2)(b). However, the 63 department shall, upon written request of the Florida Seaport 64 Transportation and Economic Development Council, submit work 65 program amendments pursuant to s. 339.135(7) to the Governor 66 within 10 days after the later of the date the request is 67 received by the department or the effective date of the 68 amendment, termination, or closure of the applicable funding 69 agreement between the department and the affected seaport, as 70 required to release the funds from the existing commitment. 71 Notwithstanding s. 339.135(7)(c), any work program amendment to 72 transfer prior year funds from one approved seaport project to 73 another seaport project is subject to the procedures in s. 74 339.135(7)(d). Notwithstanding any provision of law to the 75 contrary, the department may transfer unexpended budget between 76 the seaport projects as identified in the approved work program 77 amendments. 78(12) Until July 1, 2014, Citrus County may apply for a79grant through the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic80Development Council to perform a feasibility study regarding the81establishment of a port in Citrus County. The council shall82evaluate such application pursuant to subsections (5)-(8) and,83if approved, the Department of Transportation shall include the84feasibility study in its budget request pursuant to subsection85(9). If the study determines that a port in Citrus County is not86feasible, the membership of Port Citrus on the council shall87terminate.88(13) Until July 1, 2024, Putnam County may apply for a89grant through the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic90Development Council to perform a study examining the economic,91technical, and operational viability of the establishment of a92port in Putnam County. The council shall evaluate the grant93application pursuant to subsections (5)-(8), and, if approved,94the Department of Transportation must include the feasibility95study in its budget request pursuant to subsection (9). The96council shall review the study upon completion to determine if a97port in Putnam County is viable. If the council does not approve98the study, the membership of Putnam County on the council must99terminate.100 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 311.10, Florida 101 Statutes, is amended to read: 102 311.10 Strategic Port Investment Initiative.— 103 (1) There is created the Strategic Port Investment 104 Initiative within the Department of Transportation. Beginning in 105 the 2026-2027 fiscal year2012-2013, a minimum of $70$35106 million annually shall be made available from the State 107 Transportation Trust Fund to fund the Strategic Port Investment 108 Initiative. The Department of Transportation shall work with the 109 deepwater ports listed in s. 311.09 to develop and maintain a 110 priority list of strategic investment projects. Project 111 selection mustshallbe based on projects that meet the state’s 112 economic development goal of becoming a hub for trade, 113 logistics, and export-oriented activities by doing all of the 114 following: 115 (a) Providing important access and major on-port capacity 116 improvements.;117 (b) Providing capital improvements to strategically 118 position the state to maximize opportunities in international 119 trade, logistics, or the cruise industry.;120 (c) Achieving state goals of an integrated intermodal 121 transportation system.; and122 (d) Demonstrating the feasibility and availability of 123 matching funds through local or private partners. 124 Section 4. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 125 made by this act to section 311.07, Florida Statutes, in 126 references thereto, subsection (3) of section 320.20, Florida 127 Statutes, is reenacted to read: 128 320.20 Disposition of license tax moneys.—The revenue 129 derived from the registration of motor vehicles, including any 130 delinquent fees and excluding those revenues collected and 131 distributed under the provisions of s. 320.081, must be 132 distributed monthly, as collected, as follows: 133 (3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law except 134 subsections (1) and (2), $15 million shall be deposited annually 135 into the State Transportation Trust Fund solely for the purposes 136 of funding the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic 137 Development Program as provided in chapter 311. Such revenues 138 shall be distributed on a 50-50 matching basis to any port 139 listed in s. 311.09(1) to be used for funding projects as 140 described in s. 311.07(3)(b). Such revenues may be assigned, 141 pledged, or set aside as a trust for the payment of principal or 142 interest on bonds, tax anticipation certificates, or any other 143 form of indebtedness issued by an individual port or appropriate 144 local government having jurisdiction thereof, or collectively by 145 interlocal agreement among any of the ports, or used to purchase 146 credit support to permit such borrowings. However, such debt is 147 not a general obligation of the state. The state covenants with 148 holders of such revenue bonds or other instruments of 149 indebtedness issued that it will not repeal or impair or amend 150 in any manner that will materially and adversely affect the 151 rights of such holders so long as bonds authorized by this 152 section are outstanding. Any revenues that are not pledged to 153 the repayment of bonds authorized by this section may be used 154 for purposes authorized under the Florida Seaport Transportation 155 and Economic Development Program. This revenue source is in 156 addition to any amounts provided and appropriated in accordance 157 with s. 311.07. The Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic 158 Development Council shall approve the distribution of funds to 159 ports for projects that have been approved pursuant to s. 160 311.09(5)-(8). The council and the Department of Transportation 161 may perform acts required to facilitate and implement this 162 subsection. To better enable the ports to cooperate to their 163 mutual advantage, the governing body of each port may exercise 164 powers provided to municipalities or counties in s. 163.01(7)(d) 165 subject to chapter 311 and special acts, if any, pertaining to a 166 port. The use of funds provided pursuant to this subsection are 167 limited to eligible projects listed in this subsection. Income 168 derived from a project completed with the use of program funds, 169 beyond operating costs and debt service, is restricted solely to 170 further port capital improvements consistent with maritime 171 purposes. Use of such income for nonmaritime purposes is 172 prohibited. The revenues available under this subsection may not 173 be pledged to the payment of any bonds other than the Florida 174 Ports Financing Commission Series 1996 and Series 1999 Bonds 175 currently outstanding; however, such revenues may be pledged to 176 secure payment of refunding bonds to refinance the Florida Ports 177 Financing Commission Series 1996 and Series 1999 Bonds. 178 Refunding bonds secured by revenues available under this 179 subsection may not be issued with a final maturity later than 180 the final maturity of the Florida Ports Financing Commission 181 Series 1996 and Series 1999 Bonds or which provide for higher 182 debt service in any year than is currently payable on such 183 bonds. Any revenue bonds or other indebtedness issued after July 184 1, 2000, other than refunding bonds shall be issued by the 185 Division of Bond Finance at the request of the Department of 186 Transportation pursuant to the State Bond Act. 187 Section 5. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 188 made by this act to section 311.07, Florida Statutes, in a 189 reference thereto, paragraph (f) of subsection (1) of section 190 339.0801, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read: 191 339.0801 Allocation of increased revenues derived from 192 amendments to s. 319.32(5)(a) by ch. 2012-128.—Funds that result 193 from increased revenues to the State Transportation Trust Fund 194 derived from the amendments to s. 319.32(5)(a) made by this act 195 must be used annually, first as set forth in subsection (1) and 196 then as set forth in subsections (2)-(4), notwithstanding any 197 other provision of law: 198 (1) 199 (f) Any revenues that are not used for the payment of bonds 200 as authorized by this subsection may be used for purposes 201 authorized under the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic 202 Development Program. This revenue source is in addition to any 203 amounts provided for and appropriated in accordance with ss. 204 311.07 and 320.20(3) and (4). 205 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.