| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to educational facilities; creating s. |
| 3 | 1013.441, F.S.; establishing the Green Schools Pilot |
| 4 | Project to enable selected school districts to comply with |
| 5 | certain building certification standards; providing for an |
| 6 | application and selection process for participation in the |
| 7 | pilot project; providing minimum requirements for |
| 8 | participation; establishing the Green Schools Grant |
| 9 | Program through which funds shall be made available to |
| 10 | participating school districts; providing an appropriation |
| 11 | and specifying that funds shall not revert; requiring |
| 12 | reporting; providing an effective 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. Section 1013.441, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 17 | to read: |
| 18 | 1013.441 Green Schools Pilot Project.-- |
| 19 | (1) The Legislature recognizes that it is both cost |
| 20 | effective and healthy for citizens and the environment to build |
| 21 | schools that maximize low water usage and the use of energy |
| 22 | efficiencies, renewable energy, and recycling technologies. As |
| 23 | such, there is established the Green Schools Pilot Project to |
| 24 | create a program for selected school districts to utilize |
| 25 | Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver- |
| 26 | level or better building certification standards in new |
| 27 | educational building construction projects and, where feasible, |
| 28 | in educational building renovation projects. |
| 29 | (2) LEED building certification standards are defined by |
| 30 | the U.S. Green Building Council and address the total impact |
| 31 | that new buildings have on the environment so as to maximize |
| 32 | their energy efficiency and to minimize their adverse |
| 33 | environmental impacts. |
| 34 | (3) The Department of Education in consultation with the |
| 35 | Florida Energy Office shall develop by August 1, 2007, an |
| 36 | application process for school districts to participate in the |
| 37 | pilot project. A maximum of three school districts shall be |
| 38 | selected by the State Board of Education by January 1, 2008, to |
| 39 | participate in the pilot project. One school district shall be |
| 40 | in a county with a population of 1 million or more residents; |
| 41 | one school district shall be in a county with a population of |
| 42 | 250,000 to 999,999 residents; and one school district shall be |
| 43 | in a county with a population under 250,000 residents. School |
| 44 | districts selected to participate in the pilot project shall, to |
| 45 | the greatest extent possible, represent geographically different |
| 46 | regions of the state. |
| 47 | (4) At a minimum, each school district selected to |
| 48 | participate in the pilot project must build one complete school |
| 49 | to the LEED silver-level or better building certification |
| 50 | standards. Schools built to such building certification |
| 51 | standards shall be designated as "Green Schools." |
| 52 | (5) The Green Schools Grant Program is established in the |
| 53 | Department of Education through which funds appropriated by the |
| 54 | Legislature shall be allocated to school districts selected for |
| 55 | participation in the pilot project. |
| 56 | (6) There is hereby appropriated from the General Revenue |
| 57 | Fund to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2007-2008 |
| 58 | the sum of $3.5 million to cover the additional costs of |
| 59 | building one elementary school, one middle school, and one high |
| 60 | school to the LEED silver-level or better building certification |
| 61 | standards. The Legislature may appropriate funds to cover |
| 62 | additional costs to meet the LEED silver-level or better |
| 63 | building certification standards for other school construction |
| 64 | projects of a participating school district. Notwithstanding s. |
| 65 | 216.301 and pursuant to s. 216.351, undisbursed balances of |
| 66 | appropriations for the Green Schools Grant Program shall not |
| 67 | revert to the General Revenue Fund but shall be retained by the |
| 68 | Department of Education to be used for the purposes of this |
| 69 | section. |
| 70 | (7) School districts selected for participation in the |
| 71 | pilot project shall deliver to the Governor, the President of |
| 72 | the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a |
| 73 | report on the effects Green Schools have had on student |
| 74 | performance and health, operational costs, energy consumption, |
| 75 | and the environment. This report shall be submitted by July 1 of |
| 76 | the year after a Green School has been in full operation for a |
| 77 | period of 3 years. |
| 78 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |