Senate Bill sb1918

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    Florida Senate - 2002                                  SB 1918

    By Senator Clary





    7-334-02

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Florida Forever Program;

  3         amending s. 201.15, F.S.; providing legislative

  4         intent relating to the issuance of bonds;

  5         providing an effective date.

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

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  9         Section 1.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section

10  201.15, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

11         201.15  Distribution of taxes collected.--All taxes

12  collected under this chapter shall be distributed as follows

13  and shall be subject to the service charge imposed in s.

14  215.20(1), except that such service charge shall not be levied

15  against any portion of taxes pledged to debt service on bonds

16  to the extent that the amount of the service charge is

17  required to pay any amounts relating to the bonds:

18         (1)  Sixty-two and sixty-three hundredths percent of

19  the remaining taxes collected under this chapter shall be used

20  for the following purposes:

21         (a)  Amounts as shall be necessary to pay the debt

22  service on, or fund debt service reserve funds, rebate

23  obligations, or other amounts payable with respect to

24  Preservation 2000 bonds issued pursuant to s. 375.051 and

25  Florida Forever bonds issued pursuant to s. 215.618, shall be

26  paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the Land

27  Acquisition Trust Fund to be used for such purposes. The

28  amount transferred to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for such

29  purposes shall not exceed $300 million in fiscal year

30  1999-2000 and thereafter for Preservation 2000 bonds and bonds

31  issued to refund Preservation 2000 bonds, and $300 million in

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    Florida Senate - 2002                                  SB 1918
    7-334-02




  1  fiscal year 2000-2001 and thereafter for Florida Forever

  2  bonds. The annual amount transferred to the Land Acquisition

  3  Trust Fund for Florida Forever bonds shall not exceed $30

  4  million in the first fiscal year in which bonds are issued.

  5  The limitation on the amount transferred shall be increased by

  6  an additional $30 million in each subsequent fiscal year, but

  7  shall not exceed a total of $300 million in any fiscal year

  8  for all bonds issued. It is the intent of the Legislature that

  9  if the annual transfer of the authorized $30 million to the

10  Land Acquisition Trust Fund is not fully used to pay the debt

11  service on the largest amount of bonds that could be issued

12  using the annual $30 million transferred for debt service,

13  then in subsequent years the cumulative annual amounts

14  authorized to be transferred may be used to fund larger annual

15  bond issues so that over the life of the Florida Forever

16  Program bond issues will average approximately $300 million

17  annually while the debt service obligation may not exceed a

18  total of $300 million in any fiscal year for all bonds issued.

19  Further, it is the intent of the Legislature that all bonds

20  issued to fund the Florida Forever Act be retired by December

21  31, 2030. Except for bonds issued to refund previously issued

22  bonds, no series of bonds may be issued pursuant to this

23  paragraph unless such bonds are approved and the debt service

24  for the remainder of the fiscal year in which the bonds are

25  issued is specifically appropriated in the General

26  Appropriations Act. For purposes of refunding Preservation

27  2000 bonds, amounts designated within this section for

28  Preservation 2000 and Florida Forever bonds may be transferred

29  between the two programs to the extent provided for in the

30  documents authorizing the issuance of the bonds. The

31  Preservation 2000 bonds and Florida Forever bonds shall be

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    Florida Senate - 2002                                  SB 1918
    7-334-02




  1  equally and ratably secured by moneys distributable to the

  2  Land Acquisition Trust Fund pursuant to this section, except

  3  to the extent specifically provided otherwise by the documents

  4  authorizing the issuance of the bonds. No moneys transferred

  5  to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund pursuant to this paragraph,

  6  or earnings thereon, shall be used or made available to pay

  7  debt service on the Save Our Coast revenue bonds.

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

  9  law.

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11            *****************************************

12                          SENATE SUMMARY

13    States the intent of the Legislature regarding the annual
      transfer of Florida Forever bond funds to the Land
14    Acquisition Trust Fund.

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