The Florida Senate

403.5365  Fees; disposition.--The department shall charge the applicant the following fees, as appropriate, which, unless otherwise specified, shall be paid into the Florida Permit Fee Trust Fund:

(1)  An application fee.

(a)  The application fee shall be $100,000, plus $750 per mile for each mile of corridor in which the transmission line right-of-way is proposed to be located within an existing electric transmission line right-of-way or within any existing right-of-way for any road, highway, railroad, or other aboveground linear facility, or $1,000 per mile for each mile of electric transmission line corridor proposed to be located outside the existing right-of-way.

(b)  Sixty percent of the fee shall go to the department to cover any costs associated with coordinating the review of and acting upon the application and any costs for field services associated with monitoring construction and operation of the electric transmission line facility.

(c)  The following percentages shall be transferred to the Operating Trust Fund of the Division of Administrative Hearings of the Department of Management Services:

1.  Five percent to compensate for expenses from the initial exercise of duties associated with the filing of an application.

2.  An additional 10 percent if an administrative hearing under s. 403.527 is held.

(d)1.  Upon written request with proper itemized accounting within 90 days after final agency action by the siting board or the department or the written notification of the withdrawal of the application, the agencies that prepared reports under s. 403.526 or s. 403.5271 or participated in a hearing under s. 403.527 or s. 403.5271 may submit a written request to the department for reimbursement of expenses incurred during the certification proceedings. The request must contain an accounting of expenses incurred, which may include time spent reviewing the application, preparation of any studies required of the agencies by this act, agency travel and per diem to attend any hearing held under this act, and for the local government or regional planning council providing additional notice of the informational public meeting. The department shall review the request and verify whether a claimed expense is valid. Valid expenses shall be reimbursed; however, if the amount of funds available for reimbursement is insufficient to provide for full compensation to the agencies, reimbursement shall be on a prorated basis.

2.  If the application review is held in abeyance for more than 1 year, the agencies may submit a request for reimbursement under subparagraph 1. This time period shall be measured from the date the applicant has provided written notification to the department that it desires to have the application review process placed on hold. The fee disbursement shall be processed in accordance with subparagraph 1.

(e)  If any sums are remaining, the department shall retain them for its use in the same manner as is otherwise authorized by this section; however, if the certification application is withdrawn, the remaining sums shall be refunded to the applicant within 90 days after submittal of the written notification of withdrawal.

(2)  An amendment fee.

(a)  If no corridor alignment change is proposed by the amendment, no amendment fee shall be charged.

(b)  If a corridor alignment change under s. 403.5275 is proposed by the applicant, an additional fee of a minimum of $2,000 and $750 per mile shall be submitted to the department for use in accordance with this act.

(c)  If an amendment is required to address issues, including alternate corridors under s. 403.5271, raised by the department or other parties, no fee for the amendment shall be charged.

(3)  A certification modification fee.

(a)  If no corridor alignment change is proposed by the licensee, the modification fee shall be $4,000.

(b)  If a corridor alignment change is proposed by the licensee, the fee shall be $1,000 for each mile of realignment plus an amount not to exceed $10,000 to be fixed by rule on a sliding scale based on the load-carrying capability and configuration of the transmission line for use in accordance with subsection (1).

History.--s. 44, ch. 90-331; s. 14, ch. 93-94; s. 393, ch. 94-356; s. 66, ch. 96-321; s. 211, ch. 99-245; s. 14, ch. 2006-79; s. 65, ch. 2006-230; s. 93, ch. 2008-227.