The Florida Senate

¹240.414  Latin American and Caribbean Basin Scholarship Program.--

(1)(a)  There is created the Latin American and Caribbean Basin Scholarship Program to be administered by the Department of Education. The purpose of the program is to provide support for students from Latin American and Caribbean countries to pursue postsecondary training in this state that will enable them to address the social and economic development needs of the region.

(b)  Funds appropriated by the Legislature for the program shall be deposited in the State Student Financial Assistance Trust Fund. The Comptroller shall authorize expenditures from the trust fund upon receipt of vouchers approved by the Department of Education. Any balance in the trust fund at the end of a fiscal year that has been allocated to the program shall remain in the trust fund and be available for carrying out the purposes of the program.

(2)  The institutions that are eligible to participate in the scholarship program include the state universities and community colleges authorized by Florida law and any independent institutions eligible to participate in the William L. Boyd, IV, Florida Resident Access Grant Program pursuant to s. 240.605. No college or university may receive more than 25 percent of the funds appropriated in any year. Institutions and the appropriate administrative agency shall seek matching funds from private businesses, public foundations, and other agencies.

(3)  Scholarships per individual in any one semester shall be determined annually by the General Appropriations Act. An eligible student may receive awards under this program for up to 11 semesters or the equivalent, 3 of which may be used for intensive English language training.

(4)  In order to be eligible to participate in the Latin American and Caribbean Basin Scholarship Program, a student:

(a)  Must meet the eligibility criteria of the appropriate state agency responsible for the administration of the program.

(b)  Must be accepted for enrollment or be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student at an eligible college or university or be accepted in an intensive English language institute prior to enrollment in an eligible college or university;

(c)  Must be a citizen of a Caribbean, Central American, or South American country;

(d)  Must have declared an intention to return to his or her country of origin upon completion of his or her studies and remain there for at least the number of years equal to the number of annual awards received under this program; and

(e)  Must be in need of financial assistance in accordance with the rules of the department.

(5)  As a condition for renewal of a scholarship, a student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent for the period covered by scholarships previously received by him or her under this program.

(6)  Students from Latin America and the Caribbean who receive scholarships from the Federal Government and scholarships pursuant to this section are exempt from s. 240.1201(3) for tuition purposes.

(7)  The State Board of Education is authorized to adopt any rules necessary for the implementation of this program and to identify areas of study which should be given priority in the use of the awards.

History.--s. 115, ch. 84-336; s. 18, ch. 85-196; s. 6, ch. 86-139; s. 9, ch. 89-367; s. 30, ch. 94-230; s. 828, ch. 95-148; s. 18, ch. 95-376; s. 21, ch. 99-13; s. 3(7), ch. 2000-321.

¹Note.--Repealed January 7, 2003, by s. 3(7), ch. 2000-321, and shall be reviewed by the Legislature prior to that date.