HB 1067

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Rural Infrastructure Fund; amending
3	s. 288.0655, F.S.; revising provisions relating to rural
4	infrastructure projects; revising the percentage of total
5	infrastructure project costs for which the Office of
6	Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development may award grants;
7	authorizing the office to award grants for a certain
8	percentage of total infrastructure project costs for
9	certain rural areas of critical economic concern;
10	requiring that funds from the purchase of certain lands by
11	the state or a state agency be appropriated into the Rural
12	Infrastructure Fund; providing an effective date.
13
14	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16	Section 1.  Paragraphs (b), (c), and (e) of subsection (2)
17	of section 288.0655, Florida Statutes, are amended, and
18	subsection (6) is added to that section, to read:
19	288.0655  Rural Infrastructure Fund.-
20	(2)
21	(b)  To facilitate access of rural communities and rural
22	areas of critical economic concern as defined by the Rural
23	Economic Development Initiative to infrastructure funding
24	programs of the Federal Government, such as those offered by the
25	United States Department of Agriculture and the United States
26	Department of Commerce, and state programs, including those
27	offered by Rural Economic Development Initiative agencies, and
28	to facilitate local government or private infrastructure funding
29	efforts, the office may award grants for up to 50 30 percent of
30	the total infrastructure project cost. If an application for
31	funding is for a catalyst site, as defined in s. 288.0656, the
32	office may award grants for up to 60 40 percent of the total
33	infrastructure project cost. Eligible projects must be related
34	to specific job-creation or job-retention opportunities.
35	Eligible projects may also include improving any inadequate
36	infrastructure that has resulted in regulatory action that
37	prohibits economic or community growth or reducing the costs to
38	community users of proposed infrastructure improvements that
39	exceed such costs in comparable communities. Eligible uses of
40	funds shall include improvements to public infrastructure for
41	industrial or commercial sites and upgrades to or development of
42	public tourism infrastructure. Authorized infrastructure may
43	include the following public or public-private partnership
44	facilities: storm water systems; telecommunications facilities;
45	broadband facilities; roads or other remedies to transportation
46	impediments; nature-based tourism facilities; or other physical
47	requirements necessary to facilitate tourism, trade, and
48	economic development activities in the community. Authorized
49	infrastructure may also include publicly or privately owned
50	self-powered nature-based tourism facilities, publicly owned
51	telecommunications facilities, and broadband facilities, and
52	additions to the distribution facilities of the existing natural
53	gas utility as defined in s. 366.04(3)(c), the existing electric
54	utility as defined in s. 366.02, or the existing water or
55	wastewater utility as defined in s. 367.021(12), or any other
56	existing water or wastewater facility, which owns a gas or
57	electric distribution system or a water or wastewater system in
58	this state where:
59	1.  A contribution-in-aid of construction is required to
60	serve public or public-private partnership facilities under the
61	tariffs of any natural gas, electric, water, or wastewater
62	utility as defined herein; and
63	2.  Such utilities as defined herein are willing and able
64	to provide such service.
65	(c)  To facilitate timely response and induce the location
66	or expansion of specific job creating opportunities, the office
67	may award grants for infrastructure feasibility studies, design
68	and engineering activities, or other infrastructure planning and
69	preparation activities. Authorized grants shall be up to $50,000
70	for an employment project with a business committed to create at
71	least 100 jobs, up to $150,000 for an employment project with a
72	business committed to create at least 300 jobs, and up to
73	$300,000 for a project in a rural area of critical economic
74	concern. Grants awarded under this paragraph may be used in
75	conjunction with grants awarded under paragraph (b) if, provided
76	that the total amount of both grants does not exceed 30 percent
77	of the total project cost. However, if the state or a state
78	agency intends to purchase at least 20,000 acres of land located
79	within 15 square miles of a rural area of critical economic
80	concern, the total amount of both grants may not exceed 75
81	percent of the total project cost. In evaluating applications
82	under this paragraph, the office shall consider the extent to
83	which the application seeks to minimize administrative and
84	consultant expenses.
85	(e)  To enable local governments to access the resources
86	available pursuant to s. 403.973(18), the office may award
87	grants for surveys, feasibility studies, and other activities
88	related to the identification and preclearance review of land
89	which is suitable for preclearance review. Authorized grants
90	under this paragraph shall not exceed $75,000 each, except in
91	the case of a project in a rural area of critical economic
92	concern, in which case the grant shall not exceed $300,000. Any
93	funds awarded under this paragraph must be matched at a level of
94	50 percent with local funds, except that any funds awarded for a
95	project in a rural area of critical economic concern must be
96	matched at a level of 33 percent with local funds. If an
97	application for funding is for a catalyst site, as defined in s.
98	288.0656, or if the state or a state agency intends to purchase
99	at least 20,000 acres of land located within 15 square miles of
100	a rural area of critical economic concern, the requirement for
101	local match may be waived pursuant to the process in s.
102	288.06561. In evaluating applications under this paragraph, the
103	office shall consider the extent to which the application seeks
104	to minimize administrative and consultant expenses.
105	(6)  When the state or a state agency purchases at least
106	20,000 acres of land located within 15 square miles of a rural
107	area of critical economic concern, an amount of funds equal to
108	at least 7.5 percent of the total purchase price must be
109	appropriated into the Rural Infrastructure Fund and used in
110	accordance with paragraphs (2)(b), (c), and (e) in the region
111	affected by the land purchase. The funds appropriated into the
112	Rural Infrastructure Fund must come from the same source used in
113	the land purchase and shall be appropriated in equal
114	installments for 5 years thereafter.
115	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.

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