The Florida Senate

288.065  Rural Community Development Revolving Loan Fund.--

(1)  The Rural Community Development Revolving Loan Fund Program is established in the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development to facilitate the use of existing federal, state, and local financial resources by providing local governments with financial assistance to further promote the economic viability of rural communities. These funds may be used to finance initiatives directed toward maintaining or developing the economic base of rural communities, especially initiatives addressing employment opportunities for residents of these communities.

(2)  The program shall provide for long-term loans, loan guarantees, and loan loss reserves to units of local governments, or economic development organizations substantially underwritten by a unit of local government, within counties with populations of 75,000 or less, or any county that has a population of 100,000 or less and is contiguous to a county with a population of 75,000 or less, as determined by the most recent official estimate pursuant to s. 186.901, residing in incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county, or to units of local government, or economic development organizations substantially underwritten by a unit of local government, within a rural area of critical economic concern. Requests for loans shall be made by application to the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. Loans shall be made pursuant to agreements specifying the terms and conditions agreed to between the applicant and the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. The loans shall be the legal obligations of the applicant. All repayments of principal and interest shall be returned to the loan fund and made available for loans to other applicants. However, in a rural area of critical economic concern designated by the Governor, and upon approval by the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development, repayments of principal and interest may be retained by the applicant if such repayments are dedicated and matched to fund regionally based economic development organizations representing the rural area of critical economic concern.

(3)  The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development shall manage the fund, establishing loan practices that must include, but are not limited to, procedures for establishing loan interest rates, uses of funding, application procedures, and application review procedures. The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development shall have final approval authority for any loan under this section.

(4)  Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 216.301, funds appropriated for this purpose shall not be subject to reversion.

History.--s. 42, ch. 96-320; s. 18, ch. 97-278; s. 95, ch. 99-251; s. 11, ch. 2001-201.