| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to commuter rail projects; amending s. |
| 3 | 341.303, F.S.; requiring the Department of Transportation |
| 4 | to enter into certain interlocal agreements for public |
| 5 | transit commuter rail projects; requiring certain |
| 6 | conditions and provisions for the agreements; providing |
| 7 | for counties and municipalities to provide input to |
| 8 | address the allocation of certain funding; providing for |
| 9 | counties and municipalities to commit future year funding |
| 10 | for all phases of commuter rail projects; providing for |
| 11 | enforceability of commitments; providing an effective |
| 12 | date. |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Section 1. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (3) of |
| 17 | section 341.303, Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 18 | 341.303 Funding authorization and appropriations; |
| 19 | eligibility and participation.-- |
| 20 | (3) FUND PARTICIPATION; CAPITAL ASSISTANCE; INTERLOCAL |
| 21 | AGREEMENTS.-- |
| 22 | (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the |
| 23 | department shall enter into interlocal agreements with affected |
| 24 | counties and cities for public transit commuter rail projects |
| 25 | provided the agreement: |
| 26 | 1. Commits each affected city and county to the planning |
| 27 | and, if appropriate, the completion of the project; |
| 28 | 2. Provides specific authority and responsibility for each |
| 29 | city and county to provide input and recommendations concerning |
| 30 | the funding formula to address the allocation of the local |
| 31 | government, nonfederal share of funding between the affected |
| 32 | counties and cities for the entire cost of the project; |
| 33 | 3. Provides specific authority to each city and county to |
| 34 | commit future funding that all parties to the agreement may rely |
| 35 | upon in the future, for all phases of the project including |
| 36 | preliminary engineering, final design, right-of-way acquisition, |
| 37 | and construction; and |
| 38 | 4. Provides that the commitments made in the interlocal |
| 39 | agreement are legally binding and enforceable as to each county |
| 40 | and city. |
| 41 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |