The Florida Senate

The Department of Environmental Protection is authorized to establish the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program to provide grants to qualified local governmental entities to acquire or develop land for public outdoor recreation purposes. To the extent not needed for debt service on bonds issued pursuant to s. 375.051, each year the department shall develop and plan a program which shall be based upon funding of not less than 5 percent of the money credited to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund pursuant to s. 201.15(2) and (3) in that year. The department shall develop and plan a program which shall be based upon the cumulative total funding provided from this section and from the Florida Forever Trust Fund pursuant to s. 259.105(3)(d).

A local government may submit up to two grant applications during each application period announced by the department. However, a local government may not have more than three active projects expending grant funds during any state fiscal year. The maximum project grant for each project application may not exceed $200,000 in state funds.