Senate Bill sb1298c1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1298

    By the Committee on Finance and Taxation; and Senator Carlton





    314-2339-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to specialty license plates;

  3         amending s.320.08056, F.S.; creating the

  4         Protect Our Reefs license plate; amending s.

  5         320.08058, F.S.; requiring that the license

  6         plate use fee from the Florida Arts license

  7         plate be transferred directly to the county

  8         arts council; providing for the distribution of

  9         the annual use fee from the Protect Our Reef

10         license plate received from the sale of such

11         plates; providing for audit by the Auditor

12         General; providing an effective date.

13  

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

15  

16         Section 1.  Paragraph (mm) is added to subsection (4)

17  of section 320.08056, Florida Statutes, to read:

18         320.08056  Specialty license plates.--

19         (4)  The following license plate annual use fees shall

20  be collected for the appropriate specialty license plates:

21         (mm)  Protect Our Reefs license plate, $25.

22         Section 2.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (12) of section

23  320.08058, Florida Statutes, is amended and subsection (39) is

24  added to that section, to read:

25         320.08058  Specialty license plates.--

26         (12)  FLORIDA ARTS LICENSE PLATES.--

27         (b)  The license plate annual use fees are to be

28  annually distributed as follows:

29         1.  All fees collected must be forwarded quarterly to

30  the single arts council officially designated by the county in

31  direct proportion to the amounts of fees collected in each

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    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1298
    314-2339-03




 1  county. If there is no county arts council, fees collected

 2  must be forwarded to such other agency in the county as the

 3  highest ranking county administrative official designates, to

 4  be applied by the arts council or agency to support arts

 5  organizations, arts programs, and arts activities within the

 6  county Division of Cultural Affairs of the Department of

 7  State, together with a report setting forth the amount of such

 8  fees collected in each county, and must be deposited into the

 9  Florida Fine Arts Trust Fund.

10         2.  The Division of Cultural Affairs shall distribute

11  the fees forwarded to it by the department to the counties in

12  the amounts set forth in the report required under

13  subparagraph 1., in each case to the county arts council for

14  such county or, if there is none, to such other agency in the

15  county as the division designates, to be applied by the

16  council or agency to support art organizations, programs, and

17  activities within the county.

18         (39)  PROTECT OUR REEFS LICENSE PLATES.--

19         (a)  The department shall develop a Protect Our Reefs

20  license plate as provided in this section. Protect Our Reefs

21  license plates must bear the colors and design approved by the

22  department. The word "Florida" must appear at the top of the

23  plate, and the words "Protect Our Reefs" must appear at the

24  bottom of the plate.

25         (b)  The proceeds of the annual use fee shall be

26  distributed to Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc., to fund Florida

27  reef research, conservation, and education programs. Up to 15

28  percent of the funds received by Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc.,

29  may be expended for annual administrative costs directly

30  associated with the administration of the Protect Our Reefs

31  program. Up to 10 percent of the funds received by Mote Marine

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    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1298
    314-2339-03




 1  Laboratory, Inc., may be used by Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc.,

 2  for the continuing promotion and marketing of the license

 3  plate. After reimbursement for documented costs expended in

 4  the establishment of the plate, Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc.,

 5  shall use and distribute the remaining funds to eligible

 6  Florida-based scientific, conservation, and education

 7  organizations for the collection, analysis, and distribution

 8  of scientific, educational, and conservation information to

 9  the research community; federal, state, and local government

10  agencies; educational institutions; and the public. Eligible

11  organizations shall be based in Florida and engaged in reef

12  research, conservation, or education.

13         (c)  The state Auditor General may examine any records

14  of Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc., and any other organization

15  that receives funds from the sale of the Protect Our Reefs

16  license plate, to determine compliance with law.

17         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.

18  

19          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
20                             SB 1298

21                                 

22  The bill changes the distribution of the Florida Arts
    Specialty license plate use fee revenues by removing the
23  Department of State from the revenue flow cycle. The revenues
    will go directly to the single arts council designated by the
24  county, in the direct proportion to the amounts of fees
    collected in each county.
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