Senate Bill 1354c1

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1354

    By the Committee on Transportation and Senators Mitchell,
    Kirkpatrick, Thomas, Geller, Childers, Clary and Bronson




    306-1917-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to small county road

  3         assistance; creating s. 339.2816, F.S.;

  4         creating the Small County Road Assistance

  5         Program within the Department of

  6         Transportation; defining the term "small

  7         county"; providing for county eligibility;

  8         providing criteria for prioritizing projects;

  9         authorizing the Department of Transportation to

10         administer program contracts on behalf of

11         counties; requiring that program projects be

12         included in the department's work program;

13         amending s. 339.08, F.S.; authorizing the

14         expenditure of State Transportation Trust Fund

15         moneys for the Small County Road Assistance

16         Program; providing an effective date.

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18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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20         Section 1.  Section 339.2816, Florida Statutes, is

21  created to read:

22         339.2816  Small County Road Assistance Program;

23  definitions; program funding; funding eligibility; project

24  contract administration.--

25         (1)  There is created within the Department of

26  Transportation the Small County Road Assistance Program. The

27  purpose of this program is to assist small county governments

28  in resurfacing or reconstructing county roads.

29         (3)  For the purposes of this section the term "small

30  county" means any county that has a population of 75,000 or

31  less according to 1990 federal census data.

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1354
    306-1917-99




  1         (4)  Beginning with fiscal year 1999-2000 until fiscal

  2  year 2009-2010 up to $25 million annually from the State

  3  Transportation Trust Fund may be used for the purposes of

  4  funding the Small County Road Assistance Program as described

  5  in this section.

  6         (5)(a)  Small counties shall be eligible to compete for

  7  funds that have been designated for the Small County Road

  8  Assistance Program for resurfacing or reconstruction projects

  9  on county roads that were part of the county road system on

10  June 10, 1995. Capacity improvements on county roads shall not

11  be eligible for funding under the program.

12         (b)  In determining a county's eligibility for

13  assistance under this program, the department may consider

14  whether the county has attempted to keep county roads in

15  satisfactory condition, including the amount of local option

16  fuel tax and ad valorem millage rate imposed by the county.

17  The department may also consider the extent to which the

18  county has offered to provide a match of local funds with

19  state funds provided under the program. At a minimum, small

20  counties shall be eligible only if:

21         1.  The county has enacted the maximum rate of the

22  local option fuel tax authorized by s. 336.025(1)(a), and has

23  imposed an ad valorem millage rate of at least 8 mills, or

24         2.  The county has imposed an ad valorem millage rate

25  of 10 mills.

26         (c)  The following criteria shall be used to prioritize

27  road projects for funding under the program:

28         1.  The primary criterion is the physical condition of

29  the road as measured by the department.

30         2.  As secondary criteria the department may consider:

31         a.  Whether a road is used as an evacuation route.

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1354
    306-1917-99




  1         b.  Whether a road has high levels of agricultural

  2  travel.

  3         c.  Whether a road is considered a major arterial

  4  route.

  5         d.  Whether a road is considered a feeder road.

  6         e.  Other criteria related to the impact of a project

  7  on the public road system or on the state or local economy as

  8  determined by the department.

  9         (6)  The department is authorized to administer

10  contracts on behalf of a county selected to receive funding

11  for a project under this section. All projects funded under

12  this section shall be included in the department's work

13  program developed pursuant to s. 339.135.

14         Section 2.  Present paragraph (i) of subsection (2) of

15  section 339.08, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph

16  (j) and a new paragraph (i) is added to that subsection to

17  read:

18         339.08  Use of moneys in State Transportation Trust

19  Fund.--

20         (2)  These rules must restrict the use of such moneys

21  to the following purposes:

22         (i)  To pay the cost of county road projects selected

23  in accordance with the Small County Road Assistance Program

24  created in s. 339.2816.

25         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1354
    306-1917-99




  1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
  2                             SB 1354

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  4  This CS creates the Small County Road Assistance Program
    within the Department of Transportation (DOT) to assist small
  5  counties (1990 population of 75,000 or less) in resurfacing or
    reconstructing roads originally classified as state roads
  6  which have been reclassified as county roads.

  7  The CS provides that from fiscal year 1999-2000 until fiscal
    year 2009-2010, up to $25 million from the State
  8  Transportation Trust Fund may be used for funding the Small
    County Road Assistance Program. The CS provides criteria for
  9  eligibility and prioritization of projects.

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