The Florida Senate

376.86  Brownfield Areas Loan Guarantee Program.--

(1)  The Brownfield Areas Loan Guarantee Council is created to review and approve or deny by a majority vote of its membership, the situations and circumstances for participation in partnerships by agreements with local governments, financial institutions, and others associated with the redevelopment of brownfield areas pursuant to the Brownfields Redevelopment Act for a limited state guaranty of up to 5 years of loan guarantees or loan loss reserves issued pursuant to law. The limited state loan guaranty applies only to 10 percent of the primary lenders loans for redevelopment projects in brownfield areas. A limited state guaranty of private loans or a loan loss reserve is authorized for lenders licensed to operate in the state upon a determination by the council that such an arrangement would be in the public interest and the likelihood of the success of the loan is great.

(2)  The council shall consist of the secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection or the secretary's designee, the secretary of the Department of Community Affairs or the secretary's designee, the Executive Director of the State Board of Administration or the executive director's designee, the Executive Director of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation or the executive director's designee, and the Director of the Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development or the director's designee. The chairperson of the council shall be the Director of the Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. Staff services for activities of the council shall be provided as needed by the member agencies.

(3)  The council may enter into an investment agreement with the Department of Environmental Protection and the State Board of Administration concerning the investment of the earnings accrued and collected upon the investment of the balance of funds maintained in the Nonmandatory Land Reclamation Trust Fund. The investment must be limited as follows:

(a)  Not more than $5 million of the investment earnings earned on the investment of the minimum balance of the Nonmandatory Land Reclamation Trust Fund in a fiscal year may be at risk at any time on loan guarantees or as loan loss reserves. Of that amount, 15 percent shall be reserved for investment agreements involving predominantly minority-owned businesses which meet the requirements of subsection (4).

(b)  The investment earnings may not be used to guarantee any loan guaranty or loan loss reserve agreement for a period longer than 5 years.

(4)  A lender seeking a limited state guaranty for a loan from the Brownfield Areas Loan Guarantee Council must first provide to the council a report demonstrating that the lender has reviewed the project for redevelopment of the brownfield area and determined its feasibility in accordance with its standard procedures. The procedures include, but are not limited to:

(a)  Obtaining a satisfactory credit report from a source deemed reliable by the lender;

(b)  Reviewing a report of environmental conditions at the project and determining that actions are underway to comply with specific recommendations;

(c)  Investigating the background and experience of the entity to receive the loan and manage the project and determining that the managing entity appears to possess the experience, competence, and capacity to manage the project;

(d)  Determining that conditions exist to establish a financially sound redevelopment project that exposes the state loan guarantee program to a reasonable or acceptable level of risk; and

(e)  Determining that the local government with jurisdiction over the area where the brownfield redevelopment project is located has committed in-kind resources, local financial incentives, or local financial resources to the total project cost.

(5)  A lender covered by a limited state guaranty for a loan is not entitled to file a claim for loss pursuant to the guaranty unless all reasonable and normal remedies available and customary for lending institutions for resolving problems of loan repayments are exhausted. If the lender has received collateral security in connection with the loan, the lender must first exhaust all available remedies against the collateral security.

(6)  The council may, by rule, establish requirements for the issuance of loan guarantees, including contractual provisions to foster reimbursement, in the event of default, to the guarantee fund.

(7)  The council may receive public and private funds, federal grants, and private donations in carrying out its responsibilities.

(8)  The council shall provide an annual report to the Legislature by February 1 of each year describing its activities and agreements approved relating to redevelopment of brownfield areas. This section shall be reviewed by the Legislature by October 1, 2003, and a determination made related to the need to continue or modify this section. New loan guarantees may not be approved in 2003 until the review by the Legislature has been completed and a determination has been made as to the feasibility of continuing the use of the Nonmandatory Land Reclamation Trust Fund to guarantee portions of loans under this section.

History.--s. 10, ch. 98-75; s. 7, ch. 2000-153.