Bill Text: FL S1030 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Community Creative Grant Program
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2015-05-01 - Died in Community Affairs [S1030 Detail]
Download: Florida-2015-S1030-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2015 SB 1030
By Senator Detert
28-00894A-15 20151030__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Community Creative Grant
3 Program; creating s. 288.066, F.S.; creating the
4 Community Creative Grant Program within the Department
5 of Economic Opportunity; providing a purpose; defining
6 terms; requiring the department to administer moneys
7 appropriated by the Legislature for specified grants
8 to projects; requiring that projects be vital and
9 necessary to local economic development efforts and
10 that other state economic incentives be unavailable;
11 requiring the department to establish an application
12 cycle at the beginning of each state fiscal year;
13 requiring local governments applying for project
14 funding to submit grant applications during a
15 specified period; requiring the department to
16 determine the grant awards within a specified time
17 frame; prohibiting a grant award for a project from
18 exceeding a specified portion of the total moneys
19 appropriated in a fiscal year by the Legislature;
20 authorizing a local government to apply to the
21 department for grants to attract, facilitate,
22 undertake, or encourage a project; limiting a local
23 government to only one grant per project in an
24 application cycle; providing that a project receiving
25 a grant in one application cycle may be awarded
26 another grant in a subsequent application cycle;
27 providing that a project may be awarded grant moneys
28 under a specified provision for a maximum specified
29 period; requiring the application by the local
30 government for grant moneys to contain specified
31 information; requiring a project proposed by a local
32 government to meet certain qualifications to qualify
33 for a grant; requiring the department to consider the
34 specified needs of a local government for grant
35 assistance when evaluating grant requests; requiring
36 the department to rank each application received
37 during the application cycle according to certain
38 criteria; requiring the ranking system to include a
39 procedure to reduce or eliminate any specified bias
40 that puts small communities at a disadvantage in
41 competing for funds; prohibiting grant moneys from
42 being used for a business or sports team that is
43 relocating from one community to another community in
44 this state; prohibiting grant funds from being used by
45 the receiving local government to fulfill requirements
46 to match funds pursuant to other state or federal
47 incentive programs; requiring a grant allocation to be
48 executed in a contract between the department and the
49 local government; requiring the contract to specify
50 the terms and conditions of the agreement; providing
51 that grant allocations that are revoked or voluntarily
52 surrendered are immediately available for
53 reallocation; requiring recipients of grant
54 allocations to promptly report certain information to
55 the department; requiring the governing body of a
56 local government sponsoring a project that receives a
57 grant to submit to the department a written report
58 with specified information; requiring a specified
59 annual report to include an analysis of the Community
60 Creative Grant Program; requiring the Office of
61 Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
62 and the Office of Economic and Demographic Research to
63 conduct studies to evaluate the effectiveness of and
64 return on investment for the Community Creative Grant
65 Program; requiring the offices to submit a report to
66 the Legislature by a specified date; providing for
67 repeal of this act; amending s. 20.60, F.S.;
68 conforming a provision to a change made by the act;
69 providing an effective date.
70
71 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
72
73 Section 1. Section 288.066, Florida Statutes, is created to
74 read:
75 288.066 Community Creative Grant Program.—
76 (1) The Community Creative Grant Program is created within
77 the department. The purpose of the program is to encourage
78 investment in the state’s economy by providing grants to
79 projects.
80 (2) As used in this section, the term:
81 (a) “Governing body” means the council or legislative body
82 that governs the county or municipality.
83 (b) “Local government” means a county or municipality in
84 this state.
85 (c) “Project” means a proposal submitted to the department
86 by a local government which accomplishes a purpose under
87 subsection (6).
88 (3) The department shall administer moneys appropriated by
89 the Legislature for grants to projects proposed by the governing
90 body of a local government. The projects must be vital and
91 necessary to local economic development efforts, and other state
92 economic incentives must be unavailable.
93 (a) The department shall establish an application cycle at
94 the beginning of each state fiscal year, during which local
95 governments applying for project funding must submit a grant
96 application. The department shall determine the grant awards
97 within 60 days after the closing of the application cycle.
98 (b) A grant award for a project may not exceed 10 percent
99 of the total moneys appropriated in a fiscal year by the
100 Legislature for grants under this section.
101 (4) A local government may apply to the department for
102 grants to attract, facilitate, undertake, or encourage a
103 project. A local government may apply for only one grant per
104 project in an application cycle, but a project that has received
105 a grant in one application cycle may apply for and be awarded
106 another grant in a subsequent application cycle. A project may
107 be awarded grant moneys under this section for a maximum of 5
108 consecutive state fiscal years.
109 (5) The application by the local government for grant
110 moneys must contain the following:
111 (a) A resolution or ordinance adopted by the governing body
112 specifying the project for which grant funds are sought.
113 (b) A detailed description of how the project meets the
114 intended goals of this program.
115 (c) An attestation that the project is not eligible for
116 other state-funded economic or community development incentives,
117 and that other state-funded economic or community development
118 incentives are not being sought or used for the project.
119 (d) A detailed description of all financial support
120 committed to the project, including identification of all public
121 and private entities that have committed funds to the project,
122 and the amounts committed.
123 (e) The ways in which the local government’s approach to
124 job creation, economic development, and community development
125 will be enhanced by the grant.
126 (f) The unemployment rate for the area in which the project
127 is undertaken.
128 (g) Any other information or documentation that would aid
129 the department in its review and evaluation of the application.
130 (6) To qualify for a grant, the project proposed by a local
131 government must:
132 (a) Be a new or innovative enterprise to the area.
133 (b) Offer tangible community benefits, which may include an
134 increase in the average wage, an increase in the employment
135 rate, or an increase in the property tax base for the area.
136 (c) Promote a sense of community, create new jobs,
137 encourage businesses to hire more employees, or assist in the
138 creation, execution, or management of a venture of great
139 importance to the local community.
140 (7) In addition to the requirements contained in this
141 section, the department shall review, evaluate, and rank all
142 timely grant requests using the following evaluation criteria,
143 with priority given in descending order:
144 (a) The number of new or additional jobs created.
145 (b) The unemployment rate in the project area, with
146 priority given to locations with higher rates of unemployment.
147 (c) The extent to which multiple local governments in an
148 area commit financial resources to the project. Projects that
149 are financially supported by multiple local governments shall
150 receive higher priority.
151 (d) The amount of funds provided by the private entities
152 and local governments supporting the application, with priority
153 given to projects with higher rates of local funding.
154 (e) The permanency of any structures or outcomes from the
155 project.
156 (8) In the evaluation of grant requests, the department
157 shall consider the need for grant assistance relating to the
158 local government’s general fund balance, as well as local
159 incentive programs that are already in existence.
160 (9) The department shall rank each application received
161 from local governments during the application cycle according to
162 criteria established under subsection (7). The ranking system
163 must include a procedure to reduce or eliminate any population
164 related bias that puts small communities at a disadvantage in
165 the competition for grants.
166 (10) Grant moneys under this section may not be used for a
167 business or sports team that relocates from one community to
168 another community in this state. Grant funds under this section
169 may not be used by the receiving local government to fulfill
170 requirements to match funds pursuant to other state or federal
171 incentive programs.
172 (11) A grant award must be executed in a contract between
173 the department and the local government. The contract must
174 specify the terms and conditions of the agreement, including the
175 timeframes within which the grant award will be disbursed.
176 (a) Grant awards that are revoked or voluntarily
177 surrendered are immediately available for reallocation.
178 (b) Recipients of grant awards must promptly report to the
179 department the dates on which the relevant project permitting
180 and approval process is completed and the dates on which all
181 funds committed by public and private supporters are received.
182 (12)(a) Before October 1 of each year, the governing body
183 of a local government which sponsors a project that receives a
184 grant shall submit to the department, for inclusion in the
185 annual report required under s. 20.60, a complete and detailed
186 written report that provides all of the following:
187 1. A description of the economic impact of projects that
188 received grant funds.
189 2. The number of jobs created.
190 3. A description of the capital investment spurred by the
191 grant.
192 4. Any other information required by the department.
193 (b) In addition, the annual report required under s. 20.60
194 must include an analysis of the activities and accomplishments
195 of the Community Creative Grant Program including the usage and
196 revenue impact of state and local incentives granted to projects
197 receiving grant funds during the calendar year.
198 (13) The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
199 Accountability shall conduct a study to evaluate the
200 effectiveness of the Community Creative Grant Program. The
201 Office of Economic and Demographic Research shall conduct a
202 study to evaluate the return on investment for the Community
203 Creative Grant Program. The offices shall each submit a report
204 to the Legislature by January 15, 2019.
205 (14) This section is repealed June 30, 2020.
206 Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (10) of section
207 20.60, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
208 20.60 Department of Economic Opportunity; creation; powers
209 and duties.—
210 (10) The department, with assistance from Enterprise
211 Florida, Inc., shall, by November 1 of each year, submit an
212 annual report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
213 the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the condition of
214 the business climate and economic development in the state.
215 (b) The report must incorporate annual reports of other
216 programs, including:
217 1. The displaced homemaker program established under s.
218 446.50.
219 2. Information provided by the Department of Revenue under
220 s. 290.014.
221 3. Information provided by enterprise zone development
222 agencies under s. 290.0056 and an analysis of the activities and
223 accomplishments of each enterprise zone.
224 4. The Economic Gardening Business Loan Pilot Program
225 established under s. 288.1081 and the Economic Gardening
226 Technical Assistance Pilot Program established under s.
227 288.1082.
228 5. A detailed report of the performance of the Black
229 Business Loan Program and a cumulative summary of quarterly
230 report data required under s. 288.714.
231 6. The Rural Economic Development Initiative established
232 under s. 288.0656.
233 7. The Community Creative Grant Program established under
234 s. 288.066.
235 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.
