Senate Bill 0406e1
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1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to community development;
3 creating the Community and Faith-based
4 Organizations initiative within the Institute
5 on Urban Policy and Commerce at Florida
6 Agricultural and Mechanical University;
7 providing for the initiative to promote
8 community development through partnerships with
9 community and faith-based organizations;
10 specifying the activities to be conducted by
11 the initiative; providing for financial
12 assistance to community and faith-based
13 organizations; requiring the development of
14 grant-selection criteria; requiring leveraging
15 of funds; creating the Community and Library
16 Technology Access Partnership; specifying the
17 activities to be conducted by the partnership;
18 requiring the Institute on Urban Policy and
19 Commerce at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical
20 University to administer the initiative and the
21 Division of Library and Information Services of
22 the Department of State to administer the
23 Community and Library Technology Access
24 Partnership; authorizing certain activities and
25 uses of funds; prescribing eligibility of
26 organizations for funding or assistance;
27 requiring review and evaluation; providing
28 appropriations; creating a community
29 computer-access grant program, to be known as
30 the Community High-Technology Investment
31 Partnership, or "CHIP," program; providing
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1 purposes of the program; providing for program
2 administration pursuant to a performance-based
3 contract; providing for performance measures;
4 providing for grants to be awarded to eligible
5 neighborhood facilities; providing requirements
6 for grant applications; prescribing the maximum
7 amount of a grant; requiring a grant agreement
8 between the institute and the recipient
9 facility; providing for establishing minimum
10 specifications of computers purchased under the
11 program; providing for an evaluation and a
12 report; authorizing the institute to
13 subcontract for specified assistance services;
14 creating an inner city redevelopment assistance
15 grants program; providing duties of the Office
16 of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development;
17 prescribing eligibility requirements for
18 grants; providing expected outcomes from
19 grants; creating the Inner City Redevelopment
20 Review Panel and providing its membership and
21 duties; providing legislative findings;
22 amending s. 14.2015, F.S.; directing the Office
23 of Urban Opportunity to give priority to
24 projects receiving certain federal grants;
25 amending s. 163.2523, F.S.; providing
26 allocation criteria for the Urban Infill and
27 Redevelopment Grant Program; amending s.
28 420.5087, F.S.; providing allocation criteria
29 for the State Apartment Incentive Loan Program;
30 amending s. 420.5089, F.S.; providing
31 allocation criteria for the HOME Investment
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1 Partnership Program; amending s. 420.5093,
2 F.S.; giving priority to certain projects in
3 the State Housing Tax Credit Program; amending
4 s. 420.5099, F.S.; giving priority to certain
5 projects in the allocation of low-income
6 housing tax credits; requiring that applicants
7 for assistance in state housing, economic
8 development, and community revitalization
9 programs who support the objectives of
10 redeveloping HOPE VI grant neighborhoods be
11 given priority; providing application
12 requirements; requiring the Department of
13 Community Affairs to submit to the Legislature
14 an annual summary of certain HOPE VI assistance
15 provided; providing an effective date.
16
17 WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
18 Development awards grants under the Revitalization of Severely
19 Distressed Public Housing (HOPE VI) program to redevelop
20 distressed public housing sites, and
21 WHEREAS, these HOPE VI grants intend to create new
22 housing units and broader housing opportunities for families
23 who are eligible for public housing assistance, and
24 WHEREAS, older, distressed, or substandard public
25 housing sites can create a blighting influence on the
26 surrounding neighborhoods, and
27 WHEREAS, the redevelopment of these public housing
28 sites creates unique opportunities to disperse the location of
29 publicly owned or assisted housing and its low-income
30 residents, and
31
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1 WHEREAS, such redevelopment offers an opportunity to
2 spur the redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhoods, and
3 WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the state should
4 encourage the broader redevelopment of neighborhoods
5 surrounding HOPE VI sites by working in partnership with the
6 public housing authority, the unit of local government, and
7 the residents of the public housing and surrounding
8 neighborhoods, and
9 WHEREAS, many community and faith-based organizations
10 are providing a new focus on economic uplift in Florida's poor
11 and most vulnerable neighborhoods, and
12 WHEREAS, these nonprofit organizations have local
13 experts who serve in leadership roles by assisting individuals
14 to move from dependency to self-sufficiency and restoring the
15 lives of residents in Florida's most distressed communities,
16 and
17 WHEREAS, crime, drug addiction, teenage pregnancy,
18 homelessness, and juvenile delinquency, the most notable
19 indicators of a distressed community, are being addressed by
20 small, and sometimes unrecognized, community and faith-based
21 organizations, and
22 WHEREAS, the leadership and expertise of these
23 organizations should not be ignored, and
24 WHEREAS, a recognized effort to empower community and
25 faith-based organizations, encourage community revitalization,
26 and implement educational reform will help those who reside in
27 inner cities and distressed rural communities to gain their
28 share of the state's resources, and
29 WHEREAS, residents of low income communities lack
30 access to technology, the internet, and computer literacy
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1 needed to succeed in Florida's emerging information-based
2 economy, and
3 WHEREAS, Florida public libraries eligible for e-rate
4 discounts have the capacity to partner effectively with
5 community and faith-based organizations and agencies to
6 provide technology access and training to assist in closing
7 the digital divide, NOW, THEREFORE,
8
9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11 Section 1. Subsection (9) of section 14.2015, Florida
12 Statutes, is amended to read:
13 14.2015 Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic
14 Development; creation; powers and duties.--
15 (9)(a) The Office of Urban Opportunity is created
16 within the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development.
17 The director of the Office of Urban Opportunity shall be
18 appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
19 (b) The purpose of the Office of Urban Opportunity
20 shall be to administer the Front Porch Florida initiative, a
21 comprehensive, community-based urban core redevelopment
22 program that will empower urban core residents to craft
23 solutions to the unique challenges of each designated
24 community.
25 (c) The selection criteria for designating Front Porch
26 Communities must give priority consideration to communities
27 where there is an active grant award from the U.S. Department
28 of Housing and Urban Development under the HOPE VI program and
29 there is:
30
31
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1 1. Documented support by the unit of local government
2 to redevelop the neighborhoods surrounding the HOPE VI
3 project.
4 2. A joint agreement between the local government and
5 the public housing authority receiving the HOPE VI grant
6 regarding the redevelopment of neighborhoods surrounding the
7 HOPE VI project.
8 3. A plan to promote the redevelopment of the HOPE VI
9 neighborhoods; to disperse the location of publicly assisted
10 housing within the neighborhood and to promote mixed-income
11 neighborhoods; to promote home ownership; and to involve the
12 residents of the neighborhood in redevelopment.
13 Section 2. Section 163.2523, Florida Statutes, is
14 amended to read:
15 163.2523 Grant program.--An Urban Infill and
16 Redevelopment Assistance Grant Program is created for local
17 governments. A local government may allocate grant money to
18 special districts, including community redevelopment agencies,
19 and nonprofit community development organizations to implement
20 projects consistent with an adopted urban infill and
21 redevelopment plan or plan employed in lieu thereof. Thirty
22 percent of the general revenue appropriated for this program
23 shall be available for planning grants to be used by local
24 governments for the development of an urban infill and
25 redevelopment plan, including community participation
26 processes for the plan. Sixty percent of the general revenue
27 appropriated for this program shall be available for
28 fifty/fifty matching grants for implementing urban infill and
29 redevelopment projects that further the objectives set forth
30 in the local government's adopted urban infill and
31 redevelopment plan or plan employed in lieu thereof. The
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1 remaining 10 percent of the revenue must be used for outright
2 grants for implementing projects requiring an expenditure of
3 under $50,000. Projects that provide employment opportunities
4 to clients of the WAGES program, and projects within urban
5 infill and redevelopment areas that include a community
6 redevelopment area, Florida Main Street program, Front Porch
7 Florida Community, sustainable community, enterprise zone,
8 federal enterprise zone, enterprise community, or neighborhood
9 improvement district, and projects that include the recipient
10 of a HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and
11 Urban Development must be given an elevated priority in the
12 scoring of competing grant applications. The Division of
13 Housing and Community Development of the Department of
14 Community Affairs shall administer the grant program. The
15 Department of Community Affairs shall adopt rules establishing
16 grant review criteria consistent with this section.
17 Section 3. Paragraph (c) of subsection (6) of section
18 420.5087, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
19 420.5087 State Apartment Incentive Loan
20 Program.--There is hereby created the State Apartment
21 Incentive Loan Program for the purpose of providing first,
22 second, or other subordinated mortgage loans or loan
23 guarantees to sponsors, including for-profit, nonprofit, and
24 public entities, to provide housing affordable to
25 very-low-income persons.
26 (6) On all state apartment incentive loans, except
27 loans made to housing communities for the elderly to provide
28 for lifesafety, building preservation, health, sanitation, or
29 security-related repairs or improvements, the following
30 provisions shall apply:
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1 (c) The corporation shall provide by rule for the
2 establishment of a review committee composed of the department
3 and corporation staff and shall establish by rule a scoring
4 system for evaluation and competitive ranking of applications
5 submitted in this program, including, but not limited to, the
6 following criteria:
7 1. Tenant income and demographic targeting objectives
8 of the corporation.
9 2. Targeting objectives of the corporation which will
10 ensure an equitable distribution of loans between rural and
11 urban areas.
12 3. Sponsor's agreement to reserve the units for
13 persons or families who have incomes below 50 percent of the
14 state or local median income, whichever is higher, for a time
15 period to exceed the minimum required by federal law or the
16 provisions of this part.
17 4. Sponsor's agreement to reserve more than:
18 a. Twenty percent of the units in the project for
19 persons or families who have incomes that do not exceed 50
20 percent of the state or local median income, whichever is
21 higher; or
22 b. Forty percent of the units in the project for
23 persons or families who have incomes that do not exceed 60
24 percent of the state or local median income, whichever is
25 higher, without requiring a greater amount of the loans as
26 provided in this section.
27 5. Provision for tenant counseling.
28 6. Sponsor's agreement to accept rental assistance
29 certificates or vouchers as payment for rent; however, when
30 certificates or vouchers are accepted as payment for rent on
31 units set aside pursuant to subsection (2), the benefit must
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1 be divided between the corporation and the sponsor, as
2 provided by corporation rule.
3 7. Projects requiring the least amount of a state
4 apartment incentive loan compared to overall project cost.
5 8. Local government contributions and local government
6 comprehensive planning and activities that promote affordable
7 housing.
8 9. Project feasibility.
9 10. Economic viability of the project.
10 11. Commitment of first mortgage financing.
11 12. Sponsor's prior experience.
12 13. Sponsor's ability to proceed with construction.
13 14. Projects that directly implement or assist
14 welfare-to-work transitioning.
15 15. Projects receiving HOPE VI grants from the U.S.
16 Department of Housing and Urban Development.
17 Section 4. Subsection (6) of section 420.5089, Florida
18 Statutes, is amended to read:
19 420.5089 HOME Investment Partnership Program; HOME
20 fund.--
21 (6) Applications for loans under any competitive
22 scoring process established by program rule must be approved
23 by a review committee established by corporation rule which
24 shall analyze factors, including, but not limited to, the
25 following:
26 (a) Demographic targeting objectives of the
27 corporation.
28 (b) Corporation portfolio diversification.
29 (c) Developer's agreement to make units for the
30 targeted group available for more than the minimum period
31 required by rule.
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1 (d) Leveraging of HOME funds.
2 (e) Local matching funds.
3 (f) The project's feasibility and long-term economic
4 viability.
5 (g) Demonstrated capacity of the proposed project's
6 development team.
7 (h) Conformance with the consolidated plan for the
8 state and area in which the proposed project will be located.
9 (i) Projects receiving HOPE VI grants from the U.S.
10 Department of Housing and Urban Development.
11 (j)(i) Other factors determined and approved by the
12 corporation's board of directors.
13 Section 5. Subsection (3) of section 420.5093, Florida
14 Statutes, is amended to read:
15 420.5093 State Housing Tax Credit Program.--
16 (3) The corporation shall adopt allocation procedures
17 that will ensure the maximum use of available tax credits in
18 order to encourage development of low-income housing and
19 associated mixed-use projects in urban areas, taking into
20 consideration the timeliness of the application, the location
21 of the proposed project, the relative need in the area of
22 revitalization and low-income housing and the availability of
23 such housing, the economic feasibility of the project, and the
24 ability of the applicant to proceed to completion of the
25 project in the calendar year for which the credit is sought.
26 The allocation procedure must give priority to projects
27 receiving HOPE VI grants from the U.S. Department of Housing
28 and Urban Development.
29 Section 6. Subsection (2) of section 420.5099, Florida
30 Statutes, is amended to read:
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1 420.5099 Allocation of the low-income housing tax
2 credit.--
3 (2) The corporation shall adopt allocation procedures
4 that will ensure the maximum use of available tax credits in
5 order to encourage development of low-income housing in the
6 state, taking into consideration the timeliness of the
7 application, the location of the proposed housing project, the
8 relative need in the area for low-income housing and the
9 availability of such housing, the economic feasibility of the
10 project, and the ability of the applicant to proceed to
11 completion of the project in the calendar year for which the
12 credit is sought. The allocation procedure must give priority
13 to projects receiving HOPE VI grants from the U.S. Department
14 of Housing and Urban Development.
15 Section 7. Community and Faith-based Organizations
16 Initiative; Community and Library Technology Access
17 Partnership.--
18 (1) CREATION.--There is created the Community and
19 Faith-based Organizations Initiative which shall be
20 administered by the Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce at
21 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and the
22 Community and Library Technology Access Partnership which
23 shall be administered by the Division of Library and
24 Information Services of the Department of State.
25 (2) INTENT.--The purpose of the initiative is to
26 promote community development in low-income communities
27 through partnerships with not-for-profit community and
28 faith-based organizations. The purpose of the partnership is
29 to encourage public libraries eligible for e-rate discounted
30 telecommunications services to partner with community and
31 faith-based organizations to provide technology access and
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1 training to assist other state efforts to close the digital
2 divide.
3 (3) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.--
4 (a) Authorized activities of the initiative.--The
5 Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce at Florida Agricultural
6 and Mechanical University may conduct the following activities
7 as part of the Community and Faith-based Organizations
8 Initiative:
9 1. Create and operate training programs to enhance the
10 professional skills of individuals in community and
11 faith-based organizations.
12 2. Create and operate a program to select and place
13 students and recent graduates from business and related
14 professional schools as interns with community and faith-based
15 organizations for a period not to exceed 1 year, and provide
16 stipends for such interns.
17 3. Organize an annual conference for community and
18 faith-based organizations to discuss and share information on
19 best practices regarding issues relevant to the creation,
20 operation, and sustainability of these organizations.
21 4. Provide funding for the development of materials
22 for courses on topics in the area of community development,
23 and for research on economic, operational, and policy issues
24 relating to community development.
25 5. Provide financial assistance to community and
26 faith-based organizations through small grants for
27 partnerships with universities and the operation of programs
28 to build strong communities and future community development
29 leaders. The Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce at Florida
30 Agricultural and Mechanical University shall develop selection
31
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1 criteria for awarding such grants which are based on the goals
2 of the initiative.
3
4 The institute, to the maximum extent possible, shall leverage
5 state funding for the initiative with any federal funding that
6 the institute may receive to support similar community-based
7 activities.
8 (b) Authorized activities of the partnership.--The
9 Division of Library and Information Services of the Department
10 of State may conduct the following activities as part of the
11 Community and Library Technology Access Partnership:
12 1. Provide funding for e-rate eligible public
13 libraries to provide technology access and training to
14 community and faith-based organizations. Funding provided
15 under this subparagraph must be for eligible public libraries
16 in distressed communities in the state. The division shall
17 consult with the Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce to
18 identify such communities and to develop criteria to be used
19 in evaluating funding proposals. The division shall coordinate
20 with the institute to ensure that, to the maximum extent
21 possible, the division and the institute leverage their
22 resources under the programs authorized by this section in
23 order to focus efforts on addressing the most distressed
24 communities in the state. The division shall include a
25 representative of the institute on a review team to evaluate
26 funding proposals under this subparagraph.
27 2. Provide a method of assessment and outcome
28 measurement for e-rate eligible public libraries to assess
29 progress in closing the digital divide and in training for
30 individuals to succeed in the emerging information economy.
31
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1 (4) ELIGIBILITY.--A community or faith-based
2 organization receiving funding or other assistance under the
3 Community and Faith-based Organizations Initiative or the
4 Community Library Technology Access Partnership must be a
5 nonprofit organization holding a current exemption from
6 federal taxation under s. 501(c)(3) or (4) of the Internal
7 Revenue Code. Funding under this section shall not be used for
8 religious or sectarian purposes.
9 (5) REVIEW AND EVALUATION.--
10 (a) By January 1, 2001, the Institute on Urban Policy
11 and Commerce and the Division of Library and Information
12 Services shall submit to the Governor, the President of the
13 Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives brief
14 status reports on their respective implementation of the
15 activities authorized under this section. The institute and
16 the division may elect to collaborate on the submission of a
17 combined status report covering both programs. At a minimum,
18 the status reports or combined report shall address:
19 1. The activities and accomplishments to date;
20 2. Any impediments to the effective implementation or
21 utilization of each program; and
22 3. The initial progress toward achievement of
23 measurable program outcomes.
24 (b) By January 1, 2002, the Institute on Urban Policy
25 and Commerce and the Division of Library and Information
26 Services shall submit to the Governor, the President of the
27 Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives final
28 reports on the activities authorized under this section. The
29 institute and the division may elect to collaborate on the
30 submission of a combined final report covering both programs.
31 In addition to updating the elements addressed under paragraph
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1 (a), the reports or combined report shall include
2 recommendations on whether it would be sound public policy to
3 continue the programs and recommendations on any changes
4 designed to enhance the effectiveness of the programs.
5 Section 8. Community computer access grant program.--
6 (1) The Legislature finds that there is a growing
7 digital divide in the state, manifested in the fact that many
8 youths from distressed urban communities do not possess the
9 degree and ease of access to computers and information
10 technologies which youths in other communities in the state
11 possess. This disparity in access to rapidly changing and
12 commercially significant technologies has a negative impact on
13 the educational, workforce development, and employment
14 competitiveness of these needy youths, and thereby impedes the
15 economic development of the distressed urban communities in
16 which these youths reside. Although many public libraries
17 offer users access to computers and are increasingly making
18 library materials available to the public through electronic
19 means, many youths from distressed urban communities do not
20 live near a library that has such technology and do not have
21 computers to access Internet-based virtual libraries.
22 Neighborhood organizations, such as churches, are more likely,
23 however, to be located in closer proximity to the homes of
24 these youths than are educational institutions or libraries,
25 and these youths are more likely to gain the desirable
26 computer access at church-related or other neighborhood
27 facilities than at other institutions. The Legislature
28 therefore finds that a public purpose is served in enhancing
29 the ability of youths from these communities to have access to
30 computers and the Internet within the neighborhoods in which
31 they reside.
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1 (2) Subject to legislative appropriation, there is
2 created the Community High-Technology Investment Partnership
3 (CHIP) program to assist distressed urban communities in
4 securing computers for access by youths between the ages of 5
5 years and 18 years who reside in these communities. The
6 program shall be administered by the Institute on Urban Policy
7 and Commerce at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
8 pursuant to a performance-based contract with the Division of
9 Library and Information Services of the Department of State.
10 The division shall develop performance measures, standards,
11 and sanctions for the program. Performance measures must
12 include, but are not limited to: the number of youth obtaining
13 access to computers purchased under this program; the number
14 of hours computers are made available to youth; and the number
15 of hours spent by youth on computers purchased under this
16 program for educational purposes. The administrative costs for
17 administration of this program cannot exceed 10 percent of the
18 amount appropriated to the division for the program.
19 (3)(a) Under this program, neighborhood facilities,
20 through their governing bodies, may apply to the institute for
21 grants to purchase computers that will be available for use by
22 eligible youths who reside in the immediate vicinity of the
23 neighborhood facility. For purposes of this program, eligible
24 neighborhood facilities include, but are not limited to,
25 facilities operated by:
26 1. Units of local government, including school
27 districts;
28 2. Nonprofit, faith-based organizations, including
29 neighborhood churches;
30 3. Nonprofit civic associations or homeowners'
31 associations; and
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1 4. Nonprofit organizations, the missions of which
2 include improving conditions for residents of distressed urban
3 communities.
4
5 To be eligible for funding under this program, a nonprofit
6 organization or association must hold a current exemption from
7 federal taxation under s. 501(c)(3) or (4) of the Internal
8 Revenue Code.
9 (b) Notwithstanding the eligibility of the
10 organizations identified in paragraph (a), the institute shall
11 give priority consideration for funding under this program to
12 applications submitted by neighborhood churches or by
13 neighborhood-based, nonprofit organizations that have as a
14 principal part of their missions the improvement of conditions
15 for residents of the same neighborhoods in which the
16 organizations are located. The institute also shall give
17 priority consideration to organizations that demonstrate that
18 they have not been awarded community enhancement or similar
19 community support grants from state or local government on a
20 regular basis in the past. The institute shall develop
21 weighted criteria to be used in evaluating applications from
22 such churches or organizations. Funding under this section
23 shall not be used for religious or sectarian purposes.
24 (4) The institute shall develop guidelines governing
25 the administration of this program and shall establish
26 criteria to be used in evaluating an application for funding.
27 At a minimum, the institute must find that:
28 (a) The neighborhood that is to be served by the grant
29 suffers from general economic distress;
30
31
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1 (b) Eligible youths who reside in the vicinity of the
2 neighborhood facility have difficulty obtaining access to a
3 library or schools that have sufficient computers; and
4 (c) The neighborhood facility has developed a detailed
5 plan, as required under subsection (5), for:
6 1. Providing youths who reside in the vicinity of the
7 facility with access to any computer purchased with grant
8 funds, including evening and weekend access when libraries and
9 schools are closed; and
10 2. Promoting the maximum participation of neighborhood
11 youths in use of any computers purchased with grant funds.
12 (5) As part of an application for funding, the
13 neighborhood facility must submit a plan that demonstrates:
14 (a) The manner in which eligible youths who reside in
15 the immediate vicinity of the facility will be provided with
16 access to any computer purchased with grant funds, including
17 access during hours when libraries and schools are closed;
18 (b) The existence of safeguards to ensure that any
19 computer purchased with grant funds is reserved for the
20 educational use of eligible youths who reside in the immediate
21 vicinity of the facility and is not used to support the
22 business operations of the neighborhood facility or its
23 governing body; and
24 (c) The existence, in the neighborhood facility, of
25 telecommunications infrastructure necessary to guarantee
26 access to the Internet through any computer purchased with
27 grant funds.
28 (6) To the maximum extent possible, funding shall be
29 awarded under this program in a manner designed to ensure the
30 participation of distressed urban communities from regions
31 throughout the state.
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1 (7) The maximum amount of a grant which may be awarded
2 to any single neighborhood facility under this program is
3 $25,000.
4 (8) Before the institute may allocate funds for a
5 grant under this program, the institute and the eligible
6 neighborhood facility must execute a grant agreement that
7 governs the terms and conditions of the grant.
8 (9) The institute, based upon guidance from the State
9 Technology Office and the state's Chief Information Officer,
10 shall establish minimum requirements governing the
11 specifications and capabilities of any computers purchased
12 with funds awarded under this grant program.
13 (10) Before the 2002 Regular Session of the
14 Legislature, the institute shall evaluate the outcomes of this
15 program and report the results of the evaluation to the
16 Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
17 House of Representatives. At a minimum, the evaluation must
18 assess the extent to which the program has improved access to
19 computers for youths who reside in distressed urban
20 communities. As part of this report, the institute shall
21 identify any impediments to the effective implementation and
22 utilization of the program and shall make recommendations on
23 methods to eliminate any such impediments. In addition, the
24 institute shall make recommendations as to whether it would be
25 sound public policy to continue the program; whether the
26 program should be expanded to address additional target
27 populations, including, but not limited to, youths in
28 distressed rural communities and adults in distressed urban or
29 rural communities; and whether the list of neighborhood
30 facilities eligible to participate in the program should be
31 revised or whether priority consideration for funding should
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1 be revised to emphasize a particular type of neighborhood
2 facility. The report required under this subsection must be
3 submitted by January 1, 2002.
4 (11) The institute may subcontract with the
5 Information Service Technology Development Task Force for
6 assistance in carrying out the provisions of this section,
7 including, but not limited to, technical guidance, assistance
8 in developing and evaluating program outcomes, and preparation
9 or distribution of materials designed to educate the public
10 about community access centers and other relevant resources.
11 Section 9. There is created an Inner City
12 Redevelopment Assistance Grants Program to be administered by
13 the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. The
14 office shall develop criteria for awarding these grants which
15 give weighted consideration to urban high-crime areas as
16 identified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. These
17 criteria shall also be weighted to immediate creation of jobs
18 for residents in the targeted areas.
19 Section 10. Eligibility requirements for grant
20 proposals are as follows:
21 (1) An eligible grant recipient must serve within one
22 of the 13 urban high-crime job tax credit areas and be:
23 (a) A community-based organization;
24 (b) A community development corporation;
25 (c) A faith-based organization;
26 (d) A nonprofit community development organization;
27 (e) A nonprofit economic development organization; or
28 (f) Another nonprofit organization serving the
29 nominated area.
30 (2) Each applicant must submit a letter of support
31 from the local government serving the targeted urban area.
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1 (3) Each applicant must submit a proposal response
2 outlining the work plan proposed using the grant funding, as
3 well as proposed performance measures and expected, measurable
4 outcomes.
5 (4) Eligible uses of grant funding must result in the
6 creation of job opportunities for residents of targeted areas.
7 (5) Applicants are urged to leverage grant funds with
8 other existing resources.
9 Section 11. In order to enhance public participation
10 and involvement in the redevelopment of inner city areas,
11 there is created within the Office of Tourism, Trade, and
12 Economic Development the Inner City Redevelopment Review
13 Panel.
14 (1) The review panel shall consist of seven members
15 who represent different areas of the state, who are appointed
16 by the Director of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic
17 Development, and who are qualified, through the demonstration
18 of special interest, experience, or education, in the
19 redevelopment of the state's inner-city areas, as follows:
20 (a) One member must be affiliated with the Black
21 Business Investment Board;
22 (b) One member must be affiliated with the Institute
23 on Urban Policy and Commerce at Florida Agricultural and
24 Mechanical University;
25 (c) One member must be affiliated with the Office of
26 Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development;
27 (d) One member must be the president of Enterprise
28 Florida, Inc., or the president's designee;
29 (e) One member must be the Secretary of Community
30 Affairs or the secretary's designee;
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1 (f) One member must be affiliated with Better
2 Jobs/Better Wages of Workforce Florida, Inc., if such body is
3 created. Otherwise, one member must be the president and chief
4 operating officer of the Florida Workforce Development Board;
5 and
6 (g) One member must be affiliated with the First
7 Job/First Wages Council of Workforce Florida, Inc., if such
8 body is created. Otherwise, one member must be the Secretary
9 of Labor and Employment Security or the secretary's designee.
10 (2) The importance of minority and gender
11 representation must be considered when making appointments to
12 the panel, and the geographic representation of panel members
13 must also be considered.
14 (3) Members of the review panel shall be appointed for
15 4-year terms. A person may not serve more than two consecutive
16 terms on the panel.
17 (4) Members shall elect a chairperson annually. A
18 member may not be elected to consecutive terms as chairperson.
19 (5) All action taken by the review panel shall be by
20 majority vote of those present. The Director of the Office of
21 Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development or the director's
22 designee shall serve without voting rights as secretary to the
23 panel. The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development
24 shall provide necessary staff assistance to the panel.
25 (6) It is the responsibility of the panel to evaluate
26 proposals for awards of inner city redevelopment grants
27 administered by the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic
28 Development. The panel shall review and evaluate all proposals
29 for grants and shall make recommendations, including a
30 priority ranking, reflecting such evaluation.
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1 Section 12. (1) State agencies shall give priority to
2 applicants for assistance in state housing, economic
3 development, and community revitalization programs where that
4 application supports the objectives of redeveloping HOPE VI
5 grant neighborhoods. The following programs shall provide
6 priority consideration to HOPE VI applications; SAIL, State
7 Housing Tax Credit, Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit,
8 HOME program, Urban Infill Program, Urban High Crime Tax
9 Credits, brownfields, state empowerment zone.
10 (2) To qualify for priority consideration in the above
11 mentioned programs, a HOPE VI project applicant must document
12 the following actions in the application for assistance.
13 (a) There is an active and open grant award from the
14 United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
15 under the HOPE VI program in the community.
16 (b) There is tangible and documented support committed
17 by the unit of local government to redeveloping the
18 neighborhoods surrounding the HOPE VI project.
19 (c) There is a written agreement between the public
20 housing authority and the unit of local government that
21 outlines the joint agreement to redevelop the entire HOPE VI
22 neighborhoods and not to focus solely upon the public housing
23 site.
24 (d) There is a clearly defined plan with goals and
25 objectives to promote the redevelopment of the HOPE VI
26 neighborhoods to be a mixed income neighborhood, and to
27 deconcentrate the location of publicly assisted housing within
28 the neighborhood, promote home ownership, and involve the
29 residents of the neighborhood in the redevelopment planning
30 and improvement process.
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1 (3) The Department of Community Affairs shall annually
2 submit to the Legislature a summary of all assistance provided
3 to local HOPE VI applicants, and the percentage of HOPE VI
4 projects to all program awards.
5 Section 13. Each provision of this act will be
6 implemented to the extent that funds are specifically
7 appropriated in the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year
8 2000-2001.
9 Section 14. This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.
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