The Florida Senate

1009.25  Fee exemptions.--

(1)  The following students are exempt from any requirement for the payment of tuition and fees, including lab fees, for adult basic, adult secondary, or vocational-preparatory instruction:

(a)  A student who does not have a high school diploma or its equivalent.

(b)  A student who has a high school diploma or its equivalent and who has academic skills at or below the eighth grade level pursuant to state board rule. A student is eligible for this exemption from fees if the student's skills are at or below the eighth grade level as measured by a test administered in the English language and approved by the Department of Education, even if the student has skills above that level when tested in the student's native language.

(2)  The following students are exempt from the payment of tuition and fees, including lab fees, at a school district that provides postsecondary career and technical programs, community college, or state university:

(a)  A student enrolled in a dual enrollment or early admission program pursuant to s. 1007.27 or s. 1007.271

(b)  A student enrolled in an approved apprenticeship program, as defined in s. 446.021

(c)  A student to whom the state has awarded a Road-to-Independence Scholarship, or who is or was at the time he or she reached 18 years of age in the custody of a relative under s. 39.5085, or who is adopted from the Department of Children and Family Services after May 5, 1997. Such exemption includes fees associated with enrollment in vocational-preparatory instruction and completion of the college-level communication and computation skills testing program. Such an exemption is available to any student who was in the custody of a relative under s. 39.5085 at the time he or she reached 18 years of age or was adopted from the Department of Children and Family Services after May 5, 1997; however, the exemption remains valid for no more than 4 years after the date of graduation from high school.

(d)  A student enrolled in an employment and training program under the welfare transition program. The regional workforce board shall pay the state university, community college, or school district for costs incurred for welfare transition program participants.

(e)  A student who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence or whose primary nighttime residence is a public or private shelter designed to provide temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

(f)  A student who is a proprietor, owner, or worker of a company whose business has been at least 50 percent negatively financially impacted by the buy-out of property around Lake Apopka by the State of Florida. Such a student may receive a fee exemption only if the student has not received compensation because of the buy-out, the student is designated a Florida resident for tuition purposes, pursuant to s. 1009.21, and the student has applied for and been denied financial aid, pursuant to s. 1009.40, which would have provided, at a minimum, payment of all student fees. The student is responsible for providing evidence to the postsecondary education institution verifying that the conditions of this paragraph have been met, including support documentation provided by the Department of Revenue. The student must be currently enrolled in, or begin coursework within, a program area by fall semester 2000. The exemption is valid for a period of 4 years from the date that the postsecondary education institution confirms that the conditions of this paragraph have been met.

(3)  Each community college is authorized to grant student fee exemptions from all fees adopted by the State Board of Education and the community college board of trustees for up to 40 full-time equivalent students at each institution.

History.--ss. 5, 6, 7, ch. 2002-19; ss. 2, 3, ch. 2002-38; s. 404, ch. 2002-387.