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

    541-158-00






  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

    541-158-00






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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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