| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Water Management Lands Trust Fund; |
| 3 | amending s. 373.59, F.S.; prohibiting the issuance of |
| 4 | certain refunding bonds; revising, as of a specified |
| 5 | fiscal year, distributions from the trust fund to certain |
| 6 | water management districts to include distribution |
| 7 | priorities and allocation of specified amounts of such |
| 8 | distributions to the General Revenue Fund each fiscal |
| 9 | year; providing an effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Section 1. Subsections (1) and (8) of section 373.59, |
| 14 | Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 15 | 373.59 Water Management Lands Trust Fund.-- |
| 16 | (1) There is established within the Department of |
| 17 | Environmental Protection the Water Management Lands Trust Fund |
| 18 | to be used as a nonlapsing fund for the purposes of this |
| 19 | section. The moneys in this fund are hereby continually |
| 20 | appropriated for the purposes of land acquisition, management, |
| 21 | maintenance, capital improvements of land titled to the |
| 22 | districts, payments in lieu of taxes, debt service on bonds |
| 23 | issued prior to July 1, 1999, debt service on bonds issued on or |
| 24 | after July 1, 1999, which are issued to refund bonds issued |
| 25 | before July 1, 1999, preacquisition costs associated with land |
| 26 | purchases, and the department's costs of administration of the |
| 27 | fund. No refunding bonds may be issued which mature after the |
| 28 | final maturity date of the bonds being refunded or which provide |
| 29 | for higher debt service in any year than is payable on such |
| 30 | bonds as of February 1, 2009. The department's costs of |
| 31 | administration shall be charged proportionally against each |
| 32 | district's allocation using the formula provided in subsection |
| 33 | (8). Capital improvements shall include, but need not be limited |
| 34 | to, perimeter fencing, signs, firelanes, control of invasive |
| 35 | exotic species, controlled burning, habitat inventory and |
| 36 | restoration, law enforcement, access roads and trails, and |
| 37 | minimal public accommodations, such as primitive campsites, |
| 38 | garbage receptacles, and toilets. The moneys in the fund may |
| 39 | also be appropriated to supplement operational expenditures at |
| 40 | the Northwest Florida Water Management District and the Suwannee |
| 41 | River Water Management District, with such appropriations |
| 42 | allocated prior to the allocations set out in subsection (8) to |
| 43 | the five water management districts. |
| 44 | (8) Moneys from the Water Management Lands Trust Fund |
| 45 | shall be allocated as follows to the five water management |
| 46 | districts in the following percentages: |
| 47 | (a) Through the 2008-2009 fiscal year, thirty percent to |
| 48 | the South Florida Water Management District. Beginning with the |
| 49 | 2009-2010 fiscal year, thirty percent shall be used first to pay |
| 50 | debt service on bonds issued before February 1, 2009, by the |
| 51 | South Florida Water Management District which are secured by |
| 52 | revenues provided by this section or to fund debt service |
| 53 | reserve funds, rebate obligations, or other amounts payable with |
| 54 | respect to such bonds, then to transfer $3,000,000 to the credit |
| 55 | of the General Revenue Fund in each fiscal year, and lastly to |
| 56 | distribute the remainder to the South Florida Water Management |
| 57 | District. |
| 58 | (b) Through the 2008-2009 fiscal year, twenty-five percent |
| 59 | to the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Beginning |
| 60 | with the 2009-2010 fiscal year, twenty-five percent shall be |
| 61 | used first to transfer $2,500,000 to the credit of the General |
| 62 | Revenue Fund in each fiscal year and then to distribute the |
| 63 | remainder to the Southwest Florida Water Management District. |
| 64 | (c) Through the 2008-2009 fiscal year, twenty-five percent |
| 65 | to the St. Johns River Water Management District. Beginning with |
| 66 | the 2009-2010 fiscal year, twenty-five percent shall be used |
| 67 | first to pay debt service on bonds issued before February 1, |
| 68 | 2009, by the St. Johns River Water Management District which are |
| 69 | secured by revenues provided by this section or to fund debt |
| 70 | service reserve funds, rebate obligations, or other amounts |
| 71 | payable with respect to such bonds, then to transfer $2,500,000 |
| 72 | to the credit of the General Revenue Fund in each fiscal year, |
| 73 | and to distribute the remainder to the St. Johns River Water |
| 74 | Management District. |
| 75 | (d) Ten percent to the Suwannee River Water Management |
| 76 | District. |
| 77 | (e) Ten percent to the Northwest Florida Water Management |
| 78 | District. |
| 79 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |