The Florida Senate

328.76  Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund; vessel registration funds; appropriation and distribution.--

(1)  Except as otherwise specified and less any administrative costs, all funds collected from the registration of vessels through the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the tax collectors of the state shall be deposited in the Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund for recreational channel marking; public launching facilities; law enforcement and quality control programs; aquatic weed control; manatee protection, recovery, rescue, rehabilitation, and release; and marine mammal protection and recovery. The funds collected pursuant to s. 328.72(1) shall be transferred as follows:

(a)  In each fiscal year, an amount equal to $1 for each vessel registered in this state shall be transferred to the Save the Manatee Trust Fund for manatee and marine mammal research, protection, and recovery in accordance with the provisions of s. 370.12(4)(a).

(b)  In addition, in each fiscal year, an amount equal to 50 cents for each vessel registered in this state shall be transferred to the Save the Manatee Trust Fund in accordance with the provisions of s. 370.12(4)(b) for use by those facilities approved to rescue, rehabilitate, and release manatees as authorized pursuant to the Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States Department of the Interior.

(c)  Two dollars from each noncommercial vessel registration fee, except that for class A-1 vessels, shall be transferred to the Invasive Plant Control Trust Fund for aquatic weed research and control.

¹(d)  Forty percent of the registration fees from commercial vessels shall be used for law enforcement and quality control programs.

(e)  Forty percent of the registration fees from commercial vessels shall be transferred to the Invasive Plant Control Trust Fund for aquatic plant research and control.

(2)  All funds collected pursuant to s. 370.06(2) shall be deposited in the Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund. Such funds shall be used to pay the cost of implementing the saltwater products license program. Additional proceeds from the licensing revenue shall be distributed among the following program functions:

(a)  No more than 15 percent shall go to marine law enforcement;

(b)  No more than 25 percent shall go to the Florida Saltwater Products Promotion Trust Fund within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the purpose of providing marketing and extension services including industry information and education; and

(c)  The remainder shall go to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, for use in marine research and statistics development, including quota management.

History.--s. 1, ch. 59-399; s. 2, ch. 61-119; s. 1, ch. 63-105; s. 1, ch. 65-361; ss. 12, 25, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 69-400; s. 5, ch. 70-336; s. 5, ch. 74-327; s. 1, ch. 77-174; s. 11, ch. 83-134; s. 10, ch. 84-184; s. 67, ch. 84-338; s. 2, ch. 85-108; s. 6, ch. 89-168; s. 4, ch. 89-250; s. 3, ch. 90-219; s. 2, ch. 91-199; s. 35, ch. 92-151; s. 157, ch. 94-356; s. 32, ch. 95-146; s. 55, ch. 95-333; s. 17, ch. 96-321; s. 114, ch. 99-13; s. 20, ch. 99-205; s. 21, ch. 99-245; s. 27, ch. 99-289; s. 3, ch. 99-312.

¹Note.--Section 10(4), ch. 99-245, provides that "[e]xcept where otherwise specified in law, all revenues derived from the sale of permits and licenses pursuant to chapter 370, Florida Statutes, and all federal funds received by the State of Florida as a match to the aforementioned state revenues, and revenues received pursuant to s. 327.25 [transferred to s. 328.72 by s. 25, ch. 99-289] and s. 380.0558 (4) and (5), Florida Statutes, are to be appropriated by the Legislature to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, to be used for the purposes specified in law, except for the following:

"(4)  That portion of vessel registration fees used for quality control purposes pursuant to the provisions of section 327.28, (1)(d) [transferred to s. 328.76 by s. 27, ch. 99-289] Florida Statutes, which shall be appropriated to the General Inspection Trust Fund of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services."

Note.--Former s. 371.171; s. 327.28.