Senate Bill 0222

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 222

    By the Committee on Fiscal Policy





    301-340A-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to grant proposals for economic

  3         development; authorizing the Office of Tourism,

  4         Trade, and Economic Development to administer a

  5         grant program for funding economic development;

  6         authorizing counties, municipalities, and

  7         certain nonprofit corporations to apply for

  8         such grants; requiring that the recipient

  9         provide certain matching funds; providing for

10         Enterprise Florida, Inc., to review grant

11         applications and make recommendations to the

12         Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

13         Development; prohibiting the award of a grant

14         that personally benefits a board member of

15         Enterprise Florida, Inc.; providing that the

16         Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

17         Development may not allocate a project grant

18         unless the project is approved by the

19         Legislature; authorizing the Office of Tourism,

20         Trade, and Economic Development to adopt rules;

21         providing an effective date.

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

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25         Section 1.  Grants for economic development; funding;

26  approval; allocation.--

27         (1)  The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

28  Development may accept and administer moneys appropriated to

29  it for providing grants to counties, municipalities, and

30  qualifying nonprofit corporations to fund economic

31  development.

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 222
    301-340A-99




  1         (2)  A county, municipality, or qualified corporation

  2  may apply for a grant of state funds for the purpose of

  3  economic development. As used in this section, the term

  4  "qualified corporation" means a corporation that is designated

  5  as a not-for-profit corporation pursuant to s. 501(c)(3) or

  6  (4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954; is described in, and

  7  allowed to receive contributions pursuant to, s. 170 of the

  8  Internal Revenue Code of 1954; and is a corporation not for

  9  profit incorporated under chapter 617, Florida Statutes. The

10  state grant must be matched by a contribution from the county,

11  municipality, or nonprofit corporation in the amount required

12  by rule of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

13  Development or as otherwise specified by law.

14         (3)(a)  Enterprise Florida, Inc., shall review each

15  application for a grant to fund economic development which is

16  submitted under subsection (2). Enterprise Florida, Inc.,

17  shall annually submit to the Office of Tourism, Trade, and

18  Economic Development for approval a list of all recommended

19  applications to be included by the Executive Office of the

20  Governor in its legislative budget request for an award of

21  grants, arranged in order of priority.

22         (b)  The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

23  Development may not award any grant that will, in whole or in

24  part, inure to the personal benefit of any board member of

25  Enterprise Florida, Inc., during that member's term of office,

26  if the board member participated in the vote of the board or

27  panel thereof recommending the award. However, this paragraph

28  does not prohibit the office from awarding a grant to an

29  entity with which a board member is associated.

30         (c)  The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

31  Development may allocate grants only for projects for which

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 222
    301-340A-99




  1  the Legislature has appropriated funds. Any project that is

  2  approved and recommended by the office but which is not funded

  3  by the Legislature shall be retained on the project list for

  4  the subsequent grant cycle. Thereafter, the grant applicant

  5  must submit the required information in compliance with the

  6  established deadline date of the latest grant cycle in order

  7  to adequately indicate the current status of the project.

  8         (4)  The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic

  9  Development shall adopt by rule criteria to be applied by

10  Enterprise Florida, Inc., in recommending applications for the

11  award of grants and shall adopt rules for administering this

12  section.

13         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

14  law.

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16            *****************************************

17                          SENATE SUMMARY

18    Provides for the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic
      Development to administer a grant program to fund
19    economic development. Provides for grants to be awarded
      to counties, municipalities, and nonprofit corporations.
20    Requires that Enterprise Florida, Inc., review grant
      proposals and make recommendations to the Office of
21    Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development for awarding
      grants. Provides rulemaking authority to the Office of
22    Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development.

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