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The Florida Senate

2004 Florida Statutes

Section 509.302, Florida Statutes 2004

509.302  Director of education; personnel; employment duties; compensation.--

(1)  The director shall, with the advice of the advisory council, employ a director of education for the lodging and food service industry.

(2)  The director of education shall develop and implement an educational program, designated the "Hospitality Education Program," offered for the benefit of the entire industry. This program may affiliate with Florida State University, Florida International University, and the University of Central Florida. The program may also affiliate with any other member of the State University System or Florida Community College System, or with any privately funded college or university, which offers a program of hospitality administration and management. The primary goal of this program is to instruct and train all individuals and businesses licensed under this chapter, in cooperation with recognized associations that represent the licensees, in the application of state and federal laws and rules. Such programs shall also include:

(a)  Career training.

(b)  Management training.

(c)  Inservice continuing education programs.

(d)  Awareness of food-recovery programs, as promoted in s. 570.0725

(e)  Such other programs as may be deemed appropriate by the director of the division, the advisory council, and the director of education.

(3)  All public lodging establishments and all public food service establishments licensed under this chapter shall pay an annual fee of no more than $10 which shall be included in the annual license fee and which shall be used for the sole purpose of funding the Hospitality Education Program.

(4)  The director of education shall formulate an annual budget, programs, and activities to accomplish the purposes of this section, in accordance with and subject to the advice and recommendations of the advisory council.

(a)  The annual budget of the Hospitality Education Program must show that the total fees or charges estimated to be collected during the next fiscal year under this section will be dedicated solely to the estimated cost of funding the Hospitality Education Program, less any trust fund service charge imposed by s. 215.20 If the estimated cost of funding the Hospitality Education Program in any fiscal year is less than the total fees or charges estimated to be collected during that year, the director of education shall submit a report to the division director demonstrating why the amount of such fee or charge should not be immediately reduced to eliminate the projected surplus. The division director shall forward this report to the Secretary of Business and Professional Regulation as part of the division's annual budget request.

(b)  Both the secretary's legislative budget requests submitted pursuant to ss. 216.023 and 216.031 and the Governor's recommended budget submitted pursuant to s. 216.163 must also show that the total fees or charges estimated to be collected during the next fiscal year under this section will be dedicated solely to funding the Hospitality Education Program, less any trust fund service charge imposed by s. 215.20 If the estimated cost of funding the Hospitality Education Program in any fiscal year is less than the total fees or charges estimated to be collected during that year, the secretary shall submit a report demonstrating why the amount of such fee or charge should not be immediately reduced to eliminate the projected surplus.

(5)  The director of education, with the approval of the director and with the advice of the advisory council, may employ such personnel as necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(6)  The director of education and any staff shall receive such compensation as may be approved by the director acting with the advice of the advisory council.

(7)  The director of education, with the approval of the director and with the consent of the advisory council, may designate funds, not to exceed $150,000 annually, to support school-to-career transition programs available through statewide organizations in the hospitality services field. Such programs shall be designed to prepare students for progressive careers in the hospitality industry. The director of education, with the approval of the director and with the consent of the advisory council, may also designate funds, not to exceed $50,000 annually, to support food safety training programs available through statewide organizations in the hospitality services field, and not to exceed $50,000 annually, to support nontransient public lodging training programs available through statewide organizations in the public lodging services field.

(a)  The director of education shall have supervision over the administration of the programs set forth in this subsection and shall report the status of the programs at all meetings of the advisory council and at such other times as are prescribed by the advisory council.

(b)  The division shall adopt rules providing the criteria for program approval and the procedures for processing program applications. The criteria and procedures shall be approved by the advisory council.

History.--s. 2, ch. 61-257; s. 2, ch. 63-204; s. 2, ch. 73-296; s. 1, ch. 75-294; s. 3, ch. 76-168; s. 1, ch. 77-457; ss. 39, 42, ch. 79-240; ss. 3, 4, ch. 81-161; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 2, 4, ch. 82-84; s. 5, ch. 86-174; ss. 34, 51, 52, ch. 90-339; s. 14, ch. 91-40; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 10, ch. 96-384; s. 5, ch. 98-283; s. 48, ch. 2000-154; s. 5, ch. 2002-299; s. 58, ch. 2004-357.