Senate Bill sb2484c1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2484

    By the Committee on Regulated Industries; and Senator
    Haridopolos




    580-2460-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to lodging and food service

  3         establishments; amending s. 509.291, F.S.;

  4         revising membership provisions of the

  5         Department of Business and Professional

  6         Regulation's Division of Hotels and

  7         Restaurants' advisory council; amending s.

  8         509.302, F.S.; revising the Hospitality

  9         Education Program; replacing the director of

10         education with the division as administrator of

11         the program; revising provisions relating to

12         the administration of the program; revising the

13         training and training-related activities funded

14         by the program; deleting certain provisions

15         relating to duties and responsibilities of the

16         director of education; providing criteria by

17         which grants may be awarded under the program;

18         amending s. 509.072, F.S.; conforming

19         cross-references; amending s. 509.261, F.S.;

20         providing for the use of administrative fines;

21         providing an effective date.

22  

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

24  

25         Section 1.  Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (1) of

26  section 509.291, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

27         509.291  Advisory council.--

28         (1)  There is created a 10-member advisory council.

29         (a)  The Secretary of Business and Professional

30  Regulation shall appoint six five voting members to the

31  advisory council. Each member appointed by the secretary must

                                  1

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






    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2484
    580-2460-07




 1  be an operator of an establishment licensed under this chapter

 2  and shall represent the industries regulated by the division,

 3  except that one member appointed by the secretary must be a

 4  layperson representing and shall represent the general public

 5  and one member must be a hospitality education administrator

 6  from an institution of higher education of this state. Such

 7  members of the council shall serve staggered terms of 4 years.

 8         (b)  The Florida Hotel and Motel Association, the

 9  Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association shall designate one

10  representative from the lodging industry and one

11  representative from the restaurant industry to serve as voting

12  members of the council., The Florida Apartment Association,

13  and the Florida Association of Realtors shall each designate

14  one representative to serve as a voting member of the council.

15  In addition, one hospitality administration educator from an

16  institution of higher education affiliated with the

17  Hospitality Education Program pursuant to s. 509.302(2) shall

18  serve for a term of 2 years as a voting member of the council.

19  This single representative shall be designated on a rotating

20  basis by the institution or institutions of higher education

21  affiliated with this program pursuant to s. 509.302(2).

22         Section 2.  Section 509.302, Florida Statutes, is

23  amended to read:

24         509.302  Hospitality Education Program Director of

25  education; personnel; employment duties; compensation.--

26         (1)  The division director shall, with the advice of

27  the advisory council, employ a director of education for the

28  lodging and food service industry.

29         (2)  The director of education shall administer develop

30  and implement an educational program, designated the

31  "Hospitality Education Program," offered for the benefit of

                                  2

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






    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2484
    580-2460-07




 1  the restaurant and lodging industries of this state entire

 2  industry. This program may affiliate with Florida State

 3  University, Florida International University, and the

 4  University of Central Florida. The program may also affiliate

 5  with any other member of the State University System or

 6  Florida Community College System, or with any privately funded

 7  college or university, which offers a program of hospitality

 8  administration and management. The primary goal of this

 9  program shall be administered with the advice of the advisory

10  council and shall fund the following types of training and

11  training-related activities is to instruct and train all

12  individuals and businesses licensed under this chapter, in

13  cooperation with recognized associations that represent the

14  licensees, in the application of state and federal laws and

15  rules. Such programs shall also include:

16         (a)  Training provided by the division to licensees

17  under this chapter and the licensees' managers and employees

18  in the application of state and federal laws and rules to the

19  operations of the licensees and the licensees' managers and

20  employees.

21         (b)  Enhancement of school-to-career training and

22  transition programs for students interested in pursuing

23  careers in the food service or lodging industry. Training and

24  transition programs shall be provided through the public

25  school system utilizing a nationally recognized curriculum

26  approved by the division, with the enhancements funded under

27  this section provided by nonprofit statewide organizations in

28  the hospitality services field. Enhancement activities under

29  this section shall be funded by grants and the application

30  process for the grants shall be administered by the division.

31         (a)  Career training.

                                  3

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






    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2484
    580-2460-07




 1         (b)  Management training.

 2         (c)  Inservice continuing education programs.

 3         (d)  Awareness of food-recovery programs, as promoted

 4  in s. 570.0725.

 5         (e)  Such other programs as may be deemed appropriate

 6  by the director of the division, the advisory council, and the

 7  director of education.

 8         (2)(3)  All public lodging establishments and all

 9  public food service establishments licensed under this chapter

10  shall pay an annual fee of no more than $10, which shall be

11  included in the annual license fee and which shall be used for

12  the sole purpose of funding the Hospitality Education Program.

13         (3)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the

14  contrary, grant funding under this section for the services

15  described in paragraph (1)(b) shall include all expenses

16  incident to providing those services, including the cost of

17  staff support; student scholarships; compensation to program

18  instructors for time spent in relevant training; special

19  events or competitive events; and a reasonable stipend for

20  travel, lodging, and meals for instructors and students

21  participating in training or in related special events. All

22  such expenses shall be in accordance with the budget submitted

23  by the applicant in the grant application and approved by the

24  division. The expenditure of all funds distributed under this

25  section shall be subject to audit by the division.

26         (4)  The director of education shall formulate an

27  annual budget, programs, and activities to accomplish the

28  purposes of this section, in accordance with and subject to

29  the advice and recommendations of the advisory council.

30         (a)  The annual budget of the Hospitality Education

31  Program must show that the total fees or charges estimated to

                                  4

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






    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2484
    580-2460-07




 1  be collected during the next fiscal year under this section

 2  will be dedicated solely to the estimated cost of funding the

 3  Hospitality Education Program, less any trust fund service

 4  charge imposed by s. 215.20. If the estimated cost of funding

 5  the Hospitality Education Program in any fiscal year is less

 6  than the total fees or charges estimated to be collected

 7  during that year, the director of education shall submit a

 8  report to the advisory council division director demonstrating

 9  why the amount of such fee or charge should not be immediately

10  reduced to eliminate the projected surplus. The division

11  director shall also submit forward this report to the

12  Secretary of Business and Professional Regulation as part of

13  the division's annual budget request.

14         (b)  Both the secretary's legislative budget requests

15  submitted pursuant to ss. 216.023 and 216.031 and the

16  Governor's recommended budget submitted pursuant to s. 216.163

17  must also show that the total fees or charges estimated to be

18  collected during the next fiscal year under this section will

19  be dedicated solely to funding the Hospitality Education

20  Program, less any trust fund service charge imposed by s.

21  215.20. If the estimated cost of funding the Hospitality

22  Education Program in any fiscal year is less than the total

23  fees or charges estimated to be collected during that year,

24  the secretary shall submit a report demonstrating why the

25  amount of such fee or charge should not be immediately reduced

26  to eliminate the projected surplus.

27         (5)  The director of education, with the approval of

28  the director and with the advice of the advisory council, may

29  employ such personnel as necessary to carry out the purposes

30  of this section.

31  

                                  5

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






    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2484
    580-2460-07




 1         (6)  The director of education and any staff shall

 2  receive such compensation as may be approved by the director

 3  acting with the advice of the advisory council.

 4         (5)(7)  The director of education, with the approval of

 5  The director, and with the consent of the advisory council,

 6  may designate funds, not to exceed $250,000 $150,000 annually,

 7  to support school-to-career transition programs available

 8  through statewide organizations in the hospitality services

 9  field. Such programs shall be designed to prepare students for

10  progressive careers in the hospitality industry. The director

11  of education, with the approval of The director, and with the

12  consent of the advisory council, may also designate funds, not

13  to exceed $50,000 annually, to support food safety training

14  programs available through statewide organizations in the

15  hospitality services field, and not to exceed $50,000

16  annually, to support nontransient public lodging training

17  programs available through statewide organizations in the

18  public lodging services field.

19         (6)(a)  The director of education shall have

20  supervision over the administration of the programs set forth

21  in this subsection and shall report the status of the programs

22  at all meetings of the advisory council and at such other

23  times as are prescribed by the advisory council.

24         (7)(b)  The division shall adopt rules providing the

25  criteria for grant program approval and the procedures for

26  processing grant program applications. The criteria and

27  procedures shall be approved by the advisory council. The

28  criteria shall give primary consideration to the experience

29  and history of the applicant in representing the food service

30  or lodging industry, the applicant's prior commitment to

31  school-to-career transition programs in the food service or

                                  6

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






    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2484
    580-2460-07




 1  lodging industry, and the applicant's demonstrated ability to

 2  provide services statewide with industry support and

 3  participation. Grants awarded under this section shall be for

 4  a term of 4 years, with funding provided on an annual basis.

 5         Section 3.  Subsection (2) of section 509.072, Florida

 6  Statutes, is amended to read:

 7         509.072  Hotel and Restaurant Trust Fund; collection

 8  and disposition of moneys received.--

 9         (2)  Fees collected under s. 509.302(2)(3) and

10  deposited into the trust fund must be used solely for the

11  purpose of funding the Hospitality Education Program, except

12  for any trust fund service charge imposed by s. 215.20, and

13  may not be used to pay for any expense of the division not

14  directly attributable to the Hospitality Education Program.

15  These funds may not be deposited or transferred into any other

16  trust fund administered by the Department of Business and

17  Professional Regulation or any of its divisions. For audit

18  purposes, fees collected under s. 509.302(2)(3) and all

19  charges against those fees must be maintained by the

20  department as a separate ledger.

21         Section 4.  Subsection (4) of section 509.261, Florida

22  Statutes, is amended to read:

23         509.261  Revocation or suspension of licenses; fines;

24  procedure.--

25         (4)  All funds received by the division as satisfaction

26  for administrative fines shall be paid into the State Treasury

27  to the credit of the Hotel and Restaurant Trust Fund and may

28  not subsequently be used for payment to any entity performing

29  required inspections under contract with the division.

30  Administrative fines may be used to support division programs

31  pursuant to s. 509.302(1)(a).

                                  7

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






    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2484
    580-2460-07




 1         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

 2  

 3          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 4                         Senate Bill 2484

 5                                 

 6  The committee substitute (CS) amends s. 509.302(1), F.S., to
    reference "restaurant" industry instead of "food service"
 7  industry.  It also restores the provision that authorizes the
    Hospitality Education Program (HEP) to be affiliated with any
 8  member of the State University System or Florida Community
    College System, or with any privately funded college or
 9  university, which offers a program of hospitality
    administration and management.
10  
    The CS amends s. 509.302(1)(b), F.S., to delete the provisions
11  that specify what may be included as enhancement activities.

12  The CS amends s. 509.302(2), F.S., to delete the limitation
    that program administration and training funds must be no more
13  than 35% of the HEP funds collected and that provides for the
    expenditure of funds, including the use of unexpended funds.
14  
    The CS amends s. 509.302(5), F.S., to restore the statutory
15  maximum amount of funds that may be designated for
    school-to-career transition programs.  It also increases that
16  amount from $150,000 to $250,000.  It restores the provisions
    for grants of $50,000 each for food safety and nontransient
17  lodging training programs.

18  The CS amends s. 509.261(4), F.S., to provide that
    administrative fines assessed by the  Division of Hotels and
19  Restaurants may be used to support division programs pursuant
    to s. 509.302(1)(a), F.S.
20  

21  

22  

23  

24  

25  

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

                                  8

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