Senate Bill sb2078

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2078

    By Senator Geller





    31-1383-06                                              See HB

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the South Florida Regional

  3         Transportation Authority; amending s. 343.54,

  4         F.S.; revising provisions relating to powers

  5         and duties of the authority; deleting the term

  6         "commuter rail"; amending s. 343.55, F.S.;

  7         providing pledge to bondholders that the state

  8         will not alter certain rights vested in the

  9         authority that affect the rights of bondholders

10         while bonds are outstanding; amending s.

11         343.58, F.S.; revising provisions for funding

12         of the authority; requiring counties served by

13         the authority to annually transfer certain

14         funds before a certain date; removing

15         provisions for sources of that funding;

16         removing authorization for a vehicle

17         registration tax; providing for certain funding

18         by the state to fund capital and operating and

19         maintenance expenses; revising county funding

20         amounts to fund operations; providing for

21         cessation of specified county funding

22         contributions and providing for certain

23         refunding of the contributions under certain

24         circumstances; revising the timeframe for

25         repeal of specified funding provisions under

26         certain circumstances; providing an effective

27         date.

28  

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

30  

31  

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2078
    31-1383-06                                              See HB




 1         Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section

 2  343.54, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

 3         343.54  Powers and duties.--

 4         (1)

 5         (b)  It is the express intention of this part that the

 6  authority be authorized to plan, develop, own, purchase,

 7  lease, or otherwise acquire, demolish, construct, improve,

 8  relocate, equip, repair, maintain, operate, and manage a

 9  transit system and transit facilities; to establish and

10  determine the policies necessary for the best interest of the

11  operation and promotion of a transit system; and to adopt

12  rules necessary to govern the operation of a transit commuter

13  rail system and transit commuter rail facilities. It is the

14  intent of the Legislature that the South Florida Regional

15  Transportation Authority shall have overall authority to

16  coordinate, develop, and operate a regional transportation

17  system within the area served.

18         Section 2.  Subsection (4) is added to section 343.55,

19  Florida Statutes, to read:

20         343.55  Issuance of revenue bonds.--

21         (4)  The state pledges to and agrees with any person,

22  firm, corporation, or federal or state agency subscribing to

23  or acquiring the bonds to be issued by the authority for the

24  purposes of the South Florida Regional Transportation

25  Authority Act that the state will not limit or alter the

26  rights vested in the authority under this section until all

27  bonds at any time issued and secured by revenues remitted to

28  the authority pursuant to s. 343.58, together with the

29  interest thereon, are fully paid and discharged, insofar as

30  the same affects the rights of the holders of bonds issued

31  under this section.

                                  2

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2078
    31-1383-06                                              See HB




 1         Section 3.  Section 343.58, Florida Statutes, is

 2  amended to read:

 3         343.58  County funding for the South Florida Regional

 4  Transportation Authority.--

 5         (1)  Each county served by the South Florida Regional

 6  Transportation Authority must dedicate and transfer not less

 7  than $2.67 million to the authority annually. The recurring

 8  annual $2.67 million must be dedicated by the governing body

 9  of each county prior to October 31 of each fiscal year by

10  August 1, 2003. Notwithstanding ss. 206.41 and 206.87, such

11  dedicated funding may come from each county's share of the

12  ninth-cent fuel tax, the local option fuel tax, or any other

13  source of local gas taxes or other nonfederal funds available

14  to the counties. In addition, the Legislature authorizes the

15  levy of an annual license tax in the amount of $2 for the

16  registration or renewal of registration of each vehicle taxed

17  under s. 320.08 and registered in the area served by the South

18  Florida Regional Transportation Authority. The annual license

19  tax shall take effect in any county served by the authority

20  upon approval by the residents in a county served by the

21  authority. The annual license tax shall be levied and the

22  Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall remit

23  the proceeds each month from the tax to the South Florida

24  Regional Transportation Authority.

25         (2)  The Legislature shall direct $50 million in

26  recurring funds to the authority. Funds may be used to fund

27  capital and operating and maintenance expenses of the South

28  Florida Regional Transportation Authority.

29         (3)(2)  In addition, each county shall continue to

30  annually fund the operations of the South Florida Regional

31  Transportation Authority in an amount not less than $4.2

                                  3

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2078
    31-1383-06                                              See HB




 1  $1.565 million. Revenue raised Such funds pursuant to this

 2  subsection shall also be considered a dedicated funding

 3  source.

 4         (4)  The current funding obligations under subsections

 5  (1) and (3) shall cease upon commencement of the collection of

 6  funding from the funding source under subsection (2). Should

 7  the funding under subsection (2) be discontinued for any

 8  reason, the funding obligations under subsections (1) and (3)

 9  shall resume when collection from the funding source under

10  subsection (2) ceases. Payment by the counties will be on a

11  pro rata basis the first year following cessation of the

12  funding under subsection (2). The authority shall refund a pro

13  rata share of the payments for the current fiscal year made

14  pursuant to the current funding obligations under subsections

15  (1) and (3) as soon as reasonably practicable after it begins

16  to receive funds under subsection (2).

17         (5)  If, by December 31, 2015 2009, the South Florida

18  Regional Transportation Authority has not received federal

19  matching funds based upon the dedication of funds under

20  subsection (1), subsection (1) shall be repealed.

21         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

22  

23  

24  

25  

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

                                  4

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.