| 1 | The Committee on Transportation recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | A bill to be entitled |
| 6 | An act relating to specialty license plates; amending ss. |
| 7 | 320.08056 and 320.08058, F.S.; creating the Discover |
| 8 | Florida's Oceans license plate; providing for the |
| 9 | distribution of annual use fees received from the sale of |
| 10 | such plates; providing an effective date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Paragraph (ss) is added to subsection (4) of |
| 15 | section 320.08056, Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 16 | 320.08056 Specialty license plates.-- |
| 17 | (4) The following license plate annual use fees shall be |
| 18 | collected for the appropriate specialty license plates: |
| 19 | (ss) Discover Florida's Oceans license plate, $25. |
| 20 | Section 2. Subsection (45) is added to section 320.08058, |
| 21 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 22 | 320.08058 Specialty license plates.-- |
| 23 | (45) DISCOVER FLORIDA'S OCEANS LICENSE PLATES.-- |
| 24 | (a) The department shall develop a Discover Florida's |
| 25 | Oceans license plate as provided in this section. Discover |
| 26 | Florida's Oceans license plates must bear the colors and design |
| 27 | approved by the department. The word "Florida" must appear at |
| 28 | the top of the plate, and the words "Discover Florida's Oceans" |
| 29 | must appear at the bottom of the plate. |
| 30 | (b) The proceeds of the annual use fee shall be |
| 31 | distributed to the Hubbs Florida Ocean Fund, a 501(c)(3) public |
| 32 | charity, for the specific purpose of administering the annual |
| 33 | use fees received from the sale of the plates as follows: |
| 34 | 1. Twenty percent of the funds received by the Hubbs |
| 35 | Florida Ocean Fund shall be distributed to the Wildlife |
| 36 | Foundation of Florida, Inc., to be used for ocean, estuarine, or |
| 37 | coastal scientific research, conservation, and education |
| 38 | projects. |
| 39 | 2. Up to 10 percent of the funds received by the Hubbs |
| 40 | Florida Ocean Fund may be used for administrative costs directly |
| 41 | associated with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute research, |
| 42 | conservation, and education programs and the Discover Florida's |
| 43 | Oceans license plate. |
| 44 | 3. Up to 15 percent of the funds received by the Hubbs |
| 45 | Florida Ocean Fund may be used for continuing promotion and |
| 46 | marketing of the license plate. |
| 47 | 4. The remainder of the funds received by the Hubbs |
| 48 | Florida Ocean Fund shall be used to collect, analyze, archive, |
| 49 | and publish scientific data regarding Florida's ocean, estuary, |
| 50 | and coastal habitats and species that inhabit, utilize, or |
| 51 | migrate in state waters or along the state's coastal areas; to |
| 52 | provide response, care, assistance, and research as part of |
| 53 | Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute's statewide role in responding |
| 54 | to and archiving data on stranded marine species; to construct |
| 55 | and maintain a marine and coastal research center in association |
| 56 | with the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge on lands donated |
| 57 | to Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute by the Richard King Mellon |
| 58 | Foundation; to train teachers and students to enhance scientific |
| 59 | literacy, scientific research competency, and technology |
| 60 | development; to conduct ocean-space aquatic research and |
| 61 | scientific research focused on ocean observations from space; to |
| 62 | conduct research on economic benefits of the state's ocean, |
| 63 | estuary, and coastal resources and public use of those |
| 64 | resources; to create research and education programs that |
| 65 | contribute to the development of the state's knowledge |
| 66 | infrastructure and diversify the economy; and to implement |
| 67 | programs that seek objective, common-sense, scientific solutions |
| 68 | to the complex marine and coastal ecological problems facing the |
| 69 | state. |
| 70 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004. |