| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Florida Small Cities Community |
| 3 | Development Block Grant Program; amending s. 290.0411, |
| 4 | F.S.; revising legislative intent; amending s. 290.044, |
| 5 | F.S.; revising grant program categories; eliminating the |
| 6 | requirement for distribution of certain categorical funds |
| 7 | to be established by the Legislature; authorizing the |
| 8 | Department of Community Affairs to allocate funds for |
| 9 | emergency and natural disaster related activities; |
| 10 | 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. Section 290.0411, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 15 | to read: |
| 16 | 290.0411 Legislative intent and purpose of ss. 290.0401- |
| 17 | 290.049.--It is the intent of the Legislature to provide the |
| 18 | necessary means to develop, preserve, redevelop, and revitalize |
| 19 | Florida communities exhibiting signs of decline or distress by |
| 20 | enabling local governments to undertake the necessary community |
| 21 | development programs. The overall objective is to create viable |
| 22 | communities by eliminating slum and blight, fortifying |
| 23 | communities in urgent need, providing decent housing and |
| 24 | suitable living environments and expanding economic |
| 25 | opportunities, principally for persons of low or moderate |
| 26 | income. The purpose of ss. 290.0401-290.049 is to assist local |
| 27 | governments in carrying out effective community development and |
| 28 | project planning and design activities to arrest and reverse |
| 29 | community decline and restore community vitality. Community |
| 30 | development and project planning activities to maintain viable |
| 31 | communities, revitalize existing communities, expand economic |
| 32 | development and employment opportunities, and improve housing |
| 33 | conditions and expand housing opportunities, providing direct |
| 34 | benefit to persons of low or moderate income, are the primary |
| 35 | purposes of ss. 290.0401-290.049. The Legislature, therefore, |
| 36 | declares that the development, redevelopment, preservation, and |
| 37 | revitalization of communities in this state and all the purposes |
| 38 | of ss. 290.0401-290.049 are public purposes for which public |
| 39 | money may be borrowed, expended, loaned, pledged to guarantee |
| 40 | loans, and granted. |
| 41 | Section 2. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 290.044, |
| 42 | Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 43 | 290.044 Florida Small Cities Community Development Block |
| 44 | Grant Program Fund; administration; distribution.-- |
| 45 | (3) The department shall define the broad community |
| 46 | development objective to be achieved by the activities in each |
| 47 | of the following grant program categories, and require |
| 48 | applicants for grants to compete against each other in these |
| 49 | grant program categories: |
| 50 | (a) Housing. |
| 51 | (b) Economic development. |
| 52 | (c) Neighborhood revitalization. |
| 53 | (d) Commercial revitalization. |
| 54 | (e) Project planning and design. |
| 55 | (4) The percentage of funds distributed in each of the |
| 56 | grant program categories from federal funds for federal fiscal |
| 57 | year 1985 shall be established by the Legislature in the |
| 58 | appropriation process for the 1984 regular session and shall be |
| 59 | established annually thereafter in the same manner. The |
| 60 | department shall submit its recommendation on the distribution |
| 61 | percentages to the Governor and Legislature as part of its |
| 62 | regular budget proposals. The department may shall provide for |
| 63 | the set-aside of an amount of up to 5 10 percent of the funds |
| 64 | annually allocated to the neighborhood revitalization category |
| 65 | in its distribution percentages for use in any eligible local |
| 66 | government jurisdiction for which an emergency or natural |
| 67 | disaster has been declared by executive order. Such funds may |
| 68 | only be provided to a local government to fund eligible |
| 69 | emergency-related activities for which no other source of |
| 70 | federal, state, or local disaster funds is available. The |
| 71 | department may shall provide for such set-aside by rule. In the |
| 72 | last quarter of the state fiscal year, any funds not allocated |
| 73 | under the emergency-related set-aside shall be used to fully |
| 74 | fund any applications which were partially funded due to |
| 75 | inadequate funds in the most recently completed neighborhood |
| 76 | revitalization category funding cycle, and then any remaining |
| 77 | funds shall be distributed to the next unfunded applications. |
| 78 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |