Florida Senate - 2013          (Corrected Copy)    CS for SB 546
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Commerce and Tourism; and Senator Ring
       
       
       
       
       577-02586A-13                                          2013546c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to targeted economic development;
    3         amending s. 288.9625, F.S.; expanding the purpose of
    4         the Institute for the Commercialization of Public
    5         Research to include the commercialization of products
    6         developed by an innovation business; authorizing the
    7         institute to create corporate subsidiaries; providing
    8         conditions under which the institute may develop or
    9         accrue certain interests in companies or products;
   10         specifying conditions under which the institute may
   11         deliver and charge for services; expanding the
   12         institute’s reporting requirements to include
   13         information on assistance given to an innovation
   14         business; creating s. 288.96255, F.S.; requiring that
   15         the institute create the Florida Technology Seed
   16         Capital Fund; providing for the purpose of the fund;
   17         providing for certain administrative costs of the
   18         fund; requiring professional managers to manage the
   19         fund; providing for an investor advisory board to
   20         advise and guide the managers and to make funding
   21         recommendations; requiring the institute to administer
   22         the fund and providing criteria for its
   23         administration; providing for responsibilities of the
   24         institute; providing for an annual evaluation of the
   25         activities and results of funding; providing an
   26         effective date.
   27  
   28  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   29  
   30         Section 1. Subsections (2), (9), (10), and paragraph (a) of
   31  subsection (11) of section 288.9625, Florida Statutes, are
   32  amended to read:
   33         288.9625 Institute for the Commercialization of Public
   34  Research.—There is established at a public university or
   35  research center in this state the Institute for the
   36  Commercialization of Public Research.
   37         (2) The purpose of the institute is to assist in the
   38  commercialization of products developed by the research and
   39  development activities of an innovation business, as defined in
   40  s. 288.1089; a publicly supported college, university, or
   41  research institute; or any other publicly supported organization
   42  in this universities and colleges, research institutes, and
   43  publicly supported organizations within the state. The institute
   44  shall operate to fulfill its purpose and in the best interests
   45  of the state. The institute:
   46         (a) Is Shall be a corporation primarily acting as an
   47  instrumentality of the state pursuant to s. 768.28(2), for the
   48  purposes of sovereign immunity;
   49         (b) Is not an agency within the meaning of s. 20.03(11);
   50         (c) Is subject to the open records and meetings
   51  requirements of s. 24, Art. I of the State Constitution, chapter
   52  119, and s. 286.011;
   53         (d) Is not subject to the provisions of chapter 287;
   54         (e) Shall be governed by the code of ethics for public
   55  officers and employees as set forth in part III of chapter 112;
   56         (f) May Is not authorized to create corporate subsidiaries;
   57         (g) Shall support existing commercialization efforts at
   58  state universities; and
   59         (h) May Shall not supplant, replace, or direct existing
   60  technology transfer operations or other commercialization
   61  programs, including incubators and accelerators.
   62         (9) The institute may shall not develop or accrue any
   63  ownership, royalty, patent, or other such rights over or
   64  interest in companies or products in the institute except in
   65  connection with financing provided directly to client companies
   66  and shall maintain the confidentiality secrecy of proprietary
   67  information.
   68         (10) The institute may shall not charge for services
   69  provided rendered to state universities and affiliated
   70  organizations, community colleges, or state agencies; however,
   71  the institute may deliver and charge for services to private
   72  companies and affiliated organizations if providing a service
   73  does not interfere with the core mission of the institute. The
   74  institute may not use its capital in support of private
   75  companies or affiliated organizations whose products were not
   76  developed by research and development activities of a publicly
   77  supported college, university, or research institute, or any
   78  other organization.
   79         (11) By December 1 of each year, the institute shall issue
   80  an annual report concerning its activities to the Governor, the
   81  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
   82  Representatives. The report shall include the following:
   83         (a) Information on any assistance and activities provided
   84  by the institute to an innovation business, as defined in s.
   85  288.1089; a publicly supported college, university, or research
   86  institute; or any other publicly supported organization assist
   87  publicly supported universities, colleges, research institutes,
   88  and other publicly supported organizations in the state.
   89         Section 2.  Section 288.96255, Florida Statutes, is created
   90  to read:
   91         288.96255Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund; creation;
   92  duties.—
   93         (1) The Institute for the Commercialization of Public
   94  Research shall create the Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund
   95  as a corporate subsidiary. The purpose of the fund is to foster
   96  greater private-sector investment funding, to encourage seed
   97  stage investments in start-up companies, and to advise companies
   98  on restructuring existing management, operations, or production
   99  to attract advantageous business opportunities. The proceeds of
  100  a sale of the equity held by the fund shall be returned to the
  101  fund for reinvestment.
  102         (2) The institute shall administer the Florida Technology
  103  Seed Capital Fund. Administrative costs paid out of the fund
  104  shall be determined by the investor advisory board.
  105         (3) The institute shall employ professionals who have both
  106  technical and business expertise to manage fund activity. The
  107  institute shall establish an investor advisory board comprised
  108  of venture capital professionals and early-stage investors from
  109  this and other states who shall advise and guide the fund
  110  management and make funding recommendations.
  111         (4) The institute shall use a thorough and detailed process
  112  that is modeled after the best practices of the investment
  113  industry to evaluate a proposal. In order to approve a company
  114  for investment, the institute must consider whether:
  115         (a) The company has a strong intellectual property
  116  position, a capable management team, readily identifiable paths
  117  to market or commercialization, significant job-growth
  118  potential, the ability to provide other sources of capital to
  119  leverage the state’s investment, and the potential to attract
  120  additional funding;
  121         (b) The company has been identified by a publicly funded
  122  research institution;
  123         (c) The start-up company operates in a target industry
  124  designated pursuant to the procedure specified in s. 288.106(2);
  125         (d) The company has been identified by an approved private
  126  sector lead investor who has demonstrated due diligence typical
  127  of start-up investments in evaluating the potential of the
  128  company; and
  129         (e) The advisory board and fund manager have reviewed and
  130  recommended that the proposal be approved.
  131         (5)(a) Seed funds may be invested if the institute approves
  132  a company and the initial seed-stage investment. The initial
  133  seed-stage investment must be at least $50,000, but may not be
  134  greater than $300,000. The initial seed-stage investment
  135  requires a one-to-one private-sector match of the investment.
  136         (b) Additional seed funds may be invested in a company if
  137  approved by the institute. The cumulative total of investment in
  138  a single company may not exceed $500,000. Any additional
  139  investment amount requires a two-to-one private-sector match of
  140  investment.
  141         (6) The institute may:
  142         (a) Provide a company with value-added support services in
  143  the areas of business plan development and strategy, the
  144  preparation of investor presentations, and other critical areas
  145  identified by the institute to increase its chances for long
  146  term viability and success.
  147         (b) Encourage appropriate investment funds to become
  148  preapproved to match investment funds;
  149         (c) Market the attractiveness of the state as an early
  150  stage investment location; and
  151         (d) Collaborate with state economic-development
  152  organizations, national associations of seed and angel funds,
  153  and other innovation-based associations to create an enhanced
  154  state entrepreneurial ecosystem.
  155         (7) The institute shall annually evaluate the activities
  156  and results of the funding, taking into consideration that seed
  157  investment horizons span from 3 to 7 years.
  158         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.