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The Florida Senate

2011 Florida Statutes

Title XLVIII K-20 EDUCATION CODE
Chapter 1009 EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS, FEES, AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Entire Chapter
SECTION 505
Florida Public Postsecondary Career Education Student Assistance Grant Program.
F.S. 1009.505
1009.505 Florida Public Postsecondary Career Education Student Assistance Grant Program.—
(1) There is created a Florida Public Postsecondary Career Education Student Assistance Grant Program. The program shall be administered by the participating institutions in accordance with rules of the State Board of Education.
(2) For purposes of this section, the term:
(a) “Average annual cost of tuition and registration fees” means the average cost for the prior academic year of tuition and registration fees for the equivalent in clock hours at a public postsecondary career certificate program of 30 semester credit hours at a state university.
(b) “Half-time” means the equivalent in clock hours at a public postsecondary career certificate program of 6 semester credit hours at a Florida College System institution.
(c) “Public postsecondary career certificate program” means a postsecondary program that consists of 450 or more clock hours, is offered by a Florida College System institution authorized by Florida law or by a career center operated by a district school board under s. 1001.44, and terminates in a career certificate.
(3)(a) Student assistance grants through the program may be made only to certificate-seeking students enrolled at least half-time in a public postsecondary career certificate program who meet the general requirements for student eligibility as provided in s. 1009.40, except as otherwise provided in this section. The grants shall be awarded annually to any recipient for the amount of demonstrated unmet need for the cost of education and may not exceed the average annual cost of tuition and registration fees or such other amount as specified in the General Appropriations Act. A demonstrated unmet need of less than $200 shall render the applicant ineligible for a grant under this section. Recipients of the grants must have been accepted at a Florida College System institution authorized by Florida law or a career center operated by a district school board under s. 1001.44. A student is eligible for the award for 110 percent of the number of clock hours required to complete the program in which enrolled.
(b) A student applying for a Florida public postsecondary career education student assistance grant shall be required to apply for the Pell Grant. A Pell Grant entitlement shall be considered when conducting an assessment of the financial resources available to each student; however, a Pell Grant entitlement shall not be required as a condition of receiving a grant under this section.
(c) Each participating institution shall report, to the department by the established date, the eligible students to whom grant moneys are disbursed each academic term. Each institution shall also report to the department necessary demographic and eligibility data for such students.
(4)(a) The funds appropriated for the Florida Public Postsecondary Career Education Student Assistance Grant Program shall be distributed to eligible Florida College System institutions and district school boards in accordance with a formula approved by the department.
(b) Payment of Florida public postsecondary career education student assistance grants shall be transmitted to the president of the Florida College System institution or to the district school superintendent, or to the designee thereof, in advance of the registration period. Institutions shall notify students of the amount of their awards.
(c) The eligibility status of each student to receive a disbursement shall be determined by each institution as of the end of its regular registration period, inclusive of a drop-add period. Institutions shall not be required to reevaluate a student’s eligibility status after this date for purposes of changing eligibility determinations previously made.
(d) Participating institutions shall certify to the department the amount of funds disbursed to each student and shall remit to the department any undisbursed advances by June 1 of each year.
(5) The State Board of Education shall establish rules necessary to implement this section.
(6) This section shall be implemented only to the extent specifically funded and authorized by law.
History.—s. 2, ch. 2007-113; s. 131, ch. 2011-5.