Florida Senate - 2017                                     SB 250
       
       
        
       By Senator Artiles
       
       40-00329-17                                            2017250__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to high-occupancy toll lanes and
    3         express lanes; amending s. 338.166, F.S.; specifying
    4         that the Department of Transportation may only collect
    5         tolls on high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes
    6         for the discharge of certain bond indebtedness on a
    7         project existing before a specified date; requiring
    8         that the tolls be eliminated after discharge of the
    9         project’s bond indebtedness; prohibiting the creation
   10         of high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes on or
   11         after a specified date; requiring existing lanes to no
   12         longer be high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes
   13         upon elimination of their tolls; providing an
   14         effective date.
   15          
   16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   17  
   18         Section 1. Section 338.166, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   19  read:
   20         338.166 Termination of high-occupancy toll lanes or express
   21  lanes.—
   22         (1) Under s. 11, Art. VII of the State Constitution, the
   23  department may request the Division of Bond Finance to issue
   24  bonds secured by toll revenues collected on high-occupancy toll
   25  lanes or express lanes established on facilities owned by the
   26  department. However,
   27         (2) the department may only continue to collect a the toll
   28  on the high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes for after the
   29  discharge of any bond indebtedness related to a such project
   30  that exists before July 1, 2017. After the discharge of any bond
   31  indebtedness related to such project, the toll on the high
   32  occupancy toll lanes or express lanes must be eliminated All
   33  tolls so collected shall first be used to pay the annual cost of
   34  the operation, maintenance, and improvement of the high
   35  occupancy toll lanes or express lanes project or associated
   36  transportation system.
   37         (2)(3) High-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes may not
   38  be created on or after July 1, 2017. Upon elimination of the
   39  tolls on existing high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes
   40  pursuant to subsection (1), such lanes may continue to exist but
   41  not as high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes Any remaining
   42  toll revenue from the high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes
   43  shall be used by the department for the construction,
   44  maintenance, or improvement of any road on the State Highway
   45  System within the county or counties in which the toll revenues
   46  were collected or to support express bus service on the facility
   47  where the toll revenues were collected.
   48         (3)(4) The department may implement variable rate tolls on
   49  high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes.
   50         (4)(5) Except for high-occupancy toll lanes or express
   51  lanes, tolls may not be charged for use of an interstate highway
   52  where tolls were not charged as of July 1, 1997.
   53         (5)(6) This section does not apply to the turnpike system
   54  as defined under the Florida Turnpike Enterprise Law.
   55         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.