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The Florida Senate

2006 Florida Statutes

Section 265.608, Florida Statutes 2006

265.608  Science Museum; grants.--

(1)  The Division of Cultural Affairs of the Department of State is authorized to grant moneys from the Cultural Institutions Trust Fund, including matching grants to science museums recommended by the Florida Arts Council and approved by the Secretary of State. The division shall, by rule, establish criteria for awarding grants including criteria based upon the quality of the proposed grant recipient, the potential public exposure and public benefit of the exhibits of the proposed grant recipient, and the ability of the proposed grant recipient to properly administer grant funds and any other criteria the division determines are necessary and appropriate to further the purposes of this act. The division shall grant moneys from the trust fund in accordance with state law.

(2)  For purposes of this section, the term "science museum" means a public or private nonprofit institution located in this state operating on a permanent basis for the primary purpose of sponsoring, producing, and exhibiting programs for the observation and study of various types of natural science and science technology.

(3)  A science museum must be open to the public, have a full-time staff, be a not-for-profit organization pursuant to s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and be incorporated pursuant to chapter 617 or administered as a part of local or state government in order to receive a grant from the fund.

(4)  The Secretary of State may appoint review panels representing various disciplines to assist the Florida Arts Council in the grant review process contemplated by this section. The term of office of each review panel member shall be 1 year. The membership of each panel shall include persons actively involved in the specific discipline for which the respective panel is to review grants. Members of the panels shall not receive any compensation for their services, but shall be reimbursed for travel and expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, as provided in s. 112.061 The panels shall review grant applications and make recommendations to the council concerning the relative merits of the applicants. The division shall by rule establish criteria for reviewing grant applications to ensure compliance with applicable state laws relating to nondiscrimination and prohibited conflicts of interest.

(5)  The division may grant moneys quarterly from the trust fund to science museums in advance of an exhibit or program for which the moneys are granted, pursuant to a grant agreement or a contract. Before the end of the contract period, the grant recipient shall file with the division a complete accounting of all moneys received from the trust fund. The division may adopt rules requiring a postaudit of such accounting to be conducted by an independent certified public accountant.

History.--s. 1, ch. 89-359; ss. 10, 13, ch. 90-267; s. 5, ch. 91-429; s. 7, ch. 96-418.