House Bill 0481
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 481
By Representative Minton
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to grant proposals for
3 community centers; authorizing the Department
4 of Community Affairs to administer a grant
5 program for funding the acquisition,
6 renovation, or construction of community
7 centers; authorizing counties, municipalities,
8 and certain nonprofit corporations to apply for
9 such grants; requiring that a grant recipient
10 provide certain matching funds; providing for
11 preference to be given to certain projects;
12 providing requirements for grant recipients;
13 providing for a review panel to review grant
14 applications; providing for membership of the
15 review panel and terms of office; requiring the
16 review panel to annually recommend grant
17 recipients to the Secretary of Community
18 Affairs; providing that the department may not
19 allocate a project grant unless the funds are
20 appropriated by the Legislature; authorizing
21 the Department of Community Affairs to adopt
22 rules; providing an effective date.
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24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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26 Section 1. Grants for acquisition, renovation, or
27 construction of community centers; funding; approval;
28 allocation.--
29 (1) The Department of Community Affairs may accept and
30 administer moneys appropriated to it for providing grants to
31 counties, municipalities, and qualified corporations for the
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 481
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1 acquisition, renovation, or construction of community centers.
2 As used in this section, the term "community center" means a
3 free-standing facility owned or managed by a county,
4 municipality, or qualified corporation that provides
5 recreational opportunities, educational programs, and meeting
6 rooms for the community. This definition also includes
7 recreational centers or other similar facilities to the extent
8 that they comply with these criteria.
9 (2)(a) A county, municipality, or qualified
10 corporation may apply for a grant of state funds to acquire,
11 renovate, or construct a community center. As used in this
12 section, the term "qualified corporation" means a corporation
13 that is designated as a not-for-profit corporation pursuant to
14 s. 501(c)(3) or (4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954; is
15 described in, and allowed to receive contributions pursuant
16 to, s. 170 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954; and is a
17 corporation not for profit incorporated under chapter 617,
18 Florida Statutes.
19 (b) The state grant may be used to cover up to 75
20 percent of the project cost, and the county, municipality, or
21 qualified corporation must demonstrate to the department that
22 funds are available and committed to the project. The maximum
23 amount that may be awarded to a single project under this
24 section is $1.5 million.
25 (c) The county, municipality, or nonprofit corporation
26 must demonstrate to the department that the community supports
27 the project and has dedicated funds to operate and maintain
28 the community center.
29 (d) The department shall give preference to projects
30 that are located in:
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 481
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1 1. Enterprise zones, empowerment zones, and services
2 areas in which at least 75 percent of the residents are of low
3 or moderate income, as defined by the United States Department
4 of Housing and Urban Development; or
5 2. Communities that have fewer than one community
6 center per 35,000 residents.
7 (e) Up to 10 percent of the grant funds awarded under
8 this section may be used by the Department of Community
9 Affairs for administrative purposes contingent upon approval
10 of an expenditure plan pursuant to the legislative
11 consultation and review requirements set forth in s. 216.177.
12 (f) Each applicant that receives a grant must
13 continually monitor its performance under the grant-supported
14 activities to ensure that time schedules are met, project
15 objectives are accomplished within specified time periods, and
16 other performance goals are achieved.
17 (g) Grants may not continue for more than 36 months.
18 (3)(a) A review panel shall review each application
19 for a grant to acquire, renovate, or construct a community
20 center which is submitted under subsection (2). The Governor,
21 the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
22 Representatives shall each appoint two members to serve on the
23 review panel, and those six members shall jointly appoint a
24 seventh member to the panel. Members of the panel shall be
25 appointed to 3-year terms and may not be reappointed to the
26 panel within 1 year after completing a 3-year term. In order
27 to provide for staggered terms, the Governor, the President of
28 the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
29 shall each initially appoint one member to a 1-year term. A
30 vacancy on the panel shall be filled for the unexpired portion
31 of the term in the same manner as the original appointment.
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 481
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1 The review panel shall elect a chairperson from among its
2 members to serve a 1-year term and the chairperson may be
3 reelected.
4 (b) Beginning in fiscal year 2002-2003, the review
5 panel shall annually submit to the Secretary of Community
6 Affairs for approval a list of all applications that the panel
7 recommends be included by the Department of Community Affairs
8 in its legislative budget request for an award of grants,
9 arranged in order of priority. However, for Fiscal Year
10 2001-2002, the review panel must submit the list to the
11 Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of
12 the Senate by December 31, 2000. The department may allocate
13 grants only for projects for which the Legislature has
14 appropriated funds. Any project that is approved and
15 recommended by the Secretary of Community Affairs but which is
16 not funded by the Legislature shall be retained on the project
17 list for the subsequent grant cycle. Thereafter, the grant
18 applicant must submit the information required by the
19 department in compliance with the established deadline date of
20 the latest grant cycle in order to adequately indicate the
21 current status of the project.
22 (4) The Department of Community Affairs shall adopt by
23 rule criteria to be applied by the review panel in
24 recommending applications for the award of grants and shall
25 adopt rules for administering this section.
26 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
27 law.
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 481
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2 SENATE SUMMARY
3 Provides for the Department of Community Affairs to
administer a grant program to fund the acquisition,
4 renovation, and construction of community centers.
Provides for grants to be awarded to counties,
5 municipalities, and nonprofit corporations. Establishes a
panel to review grant proposals and make recommendations
6 to the Secretary of Community Affairs for awarding
grants. Provides rulemaking authority to the Department
7 of Community Affairs. (See bill for details.)
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